[As of this writing, it appears that Fast Company is the only high-profile media outlet reporting on Jessica Foster, a popular conservative social media influencer who – er, that – is completely computer-generated. The author notes that “Foster’s one-million-follower army is the ultimate demonstration that we have reached a predicted and very dangerous era, as the latest generative photo and video AIs have finally shattered our ground truths with perfect synthetic reality indistinguishable from real life.” But as this author, and the journalist in a 20-minute video report on the story on Courier’s YouTube channel, note, while it’s not clear…

[Two new business opening in Sioux Falls, South Dakota represent a larger trend in which architectural plans are made more immersive and likely to evoke spatial presence by being reproduced at full scale. The story below from SiouxFalls.Business describes how the services work and why they’re useful; see the original version of the story for nine more large images. –Matthew] New businesses will offer immersive approach to building plans By Jacqueline PalfyFebruary 26, 2026 Two new businesses in Sioux Falls and Tea will offer an immersive experience for everyone from architects to families remodeling a home. Alex Drey, owner of…

[In a new study, some of our friends and colleagues at Michigan State University demonstrate that, as presence scholars would predict, giving a speech to a fictional audience in virtual reality evokes a variety of “physiological reactions, emotional response[s] and communication behaviors” that match what we’d expect if the experience occurred in person. This short story and the researchers’ new publication note that given the increasing prevalence of mediated communication, especially since the global pandemic, the results have important implications for helping people develop communication skills for both mediated and nonmediated settings. –Matthew] Study finds virtual audiences can trigger real-world…

[As a vegetarian, this story from the Midwest Messenger wasn’t an easy read, but it describes an interesting and valuable new application of presence-evoking technologies in the meat processing industry. This is an abridged version of the original story; see that version for more details and three more images. –Matthew] [Image: Konrad Ahlin, right, demonstrates how to use the controller and virtual reality headset at the Heartland for Robotics Conference in October 2025. Credit: Photo by Julia McQuillan] Avatar meat processors? Virtual reality, automation future of meat industry By Kristen SindelarMarch 6, 2026 Automation has become a normal part of…

[In this link-filled story from Monash Lens, a doctoral candidate at Monash University in Australia explores some of the serious dangers created by increasingly convincing and easy-to-create sexualized deepfake videos and romantic interactions with chatbots. The story includes some of the author’s findings from her own research interviews with young people on the topic. See the original version of this story for a second image, a video, and links to a related story and two podcast episodes. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: Image: E+/Getty Images] From deepfakes to chatbots: How AI is reinforcing sexual entitlement, fuelling abuse By Ruby Sciberras, PhD Candidate,…

[This story from EdTech Magazine describes how people at four different universities are using presence-evoking technologies to teach their students essential soft skills including interpersonal communication, collaboration and adaptability. See the original version of the story for a second image and graphical features. –Matthew] How VR and AI Improve Soft Skills Development Higher education institutions are turning to training technologies to bridge soft-skills gaps among students. By Alexander Slagg, a freelance writer specializing in technology and education. He is an ongoing contributor to the CDW family of magazinesFebruary 20, 2026 Are today’s college graduates prepared for the demands of the…