[The news has been filled with stories about the dramatic, fast-moving evolution of AI-based media. For example, Interesting Engineering’s report on the latest version of AI image generating software Midjourney is titled “Believe it or not: This image was generated by an AI program using three text prompts. This marks the end of photography as we know it. It’s synthography from here on.” (See more coverage and examples from PetaPixel and Ars Technica). And CNN reports on “5 jaw-dropping things GPT-4 can do that ChatGPT couldn’t.” But the two first-person posts below by tech journalists point to the dangers we’ll…

[During the pandemic many restaurants required customers to access written menus only by scanning a QR code with their smartphone. But a richer, more presence-evoking format is possible: The U.S. diner chain Denny’s has created what it calls an immersive augmented reality menu experience, as reported in the two stories below from The Daily Meal and The Takeout. Will these “mouth-watering” presence experiences become more common? –Matthew] [Image: Customer viewing Denny’s augmented reality menu on smartphone. Credit: Denny’s] Denny’s Unveils A New Augmented Reality Menu Experience (Plus New Items) By Jennifer Waldera March 15, 2023 Initially named Danny’s Donuts, Denny’s…

[An innovative and now award-winning open-access digital publication provides insights into the history of presence-evoking technologies, as reported in this story from The Brown Daily Herald (see the original version for two more images). A Brown University press release includes this: “’Shadow Plays’ explores popular forms of entertainment in the 18th and 19th centuries, such as stereoscopes and moving panoramas, that were used to transport viewers to a new world. Through six case histories and eight interactive simulations, [Author Massimo] Riva shows how those early innovations foreshadowed present-day virtual, augmented and extended reality experiences. [Allison] Levy, [director of Brown University…

[In this VentureBeat guest column (adapted from an earlier piece in Big Think), a long-time participant in and observer of the evolution of presence-evoking technologies explains why virtual reality is about to revolutionize education. See the original version of the column for three different images, and the Dreamscape Learn website for more information and videos such as “Dreamscape Learn: A new form of education” (also available on YouTube). –Matthew] Virtual reality is finally ready to revolutionize education By Louis Rosenberg, an early pioneer of virtual and augmented reality, and the founder of Immersion Corporation, Microscribe 3D, Outland Research and Unanimous AI.…

[This extremely positive review from UploadVR describes what sounds like an impressive and innovative presence-evoking use of eye-tracking combined with a compelling first-person narrative. See the original review for three more pictures and 1:33 minute video, and see a similarly positive review in The Verge (with the title “Before Your Eyes is a beautiful showcase of what VR storytelling can be”) for more pictures and details (including spoilers). –Matthew] Before Your Eyes VR Review – Sublime Immersive Narrative For PSVR 2 Before Your Eyes is a sublime narrative experience for PlayStation VR2 that leverages eye tracking technology to tell an…

[As with nearly all of the press coverage of a new “hyper-realistic” beauty filter on TikTok, this story from MIT Technology Review provides user and expert reactions, including concerns that the filter is so convincing that it amplifies negative effects on (especially young people’s) self-perceptions and esteem. As user Rosaura Alvrz notes, “This is a problem. You can’t even tell it’s a filter anymore.” For more details see coverage from Insider, a 1:15 minute CNN video, and related stories from Tech Crunch (“TikTok’s Teenage Filter Has Us Confronting Our Own Mortality”) and Design TAXI (“AI Modeling Agency Removes The Need…