[The experiential learning provided by presence-evoking technologies can be used not just for traditional content but to develop social and emotional learning for K-12 students, especially those with autism and social anxiety. Details are reported in the story below from GovTech. Note this comment from Discovery Education’s senior director of immersive content: “The thing about augmented reality and virtual reality is it’s this great amplifier, and it creates this experiential learning scenario. When [students are] collaborating, all the soft skills are starting to come in. They’re using immersive content to solve problems as if they are actually there.” –Matthew] What…

[The tagline for The Markup’s weekly newsletter Hello World is “Challenging technology to serve the public good.” The first-person report and interview below describe how a presence-evoking virtual tour of different places at the U.S.-Mexico border via Google Earth and a VR headset is helping people experience and understand how surveillance technology is used at the border and some of the impacts and implications of the surveillance. See the original version of the story for a second image and links to related stories. –Matthew] [Image: Credits: Photo illustration: Joel Eastwood; photos by John Moore / Getty Images (4); Loren Elliott…

[This story from The Debrief describes a new study that compares the persuasiveness of propaganda written by humans to that of propaganda generated by artificial intelligence, with worrying results. The story includes extended comments by the lead author (and the original version includes a second image). See also the related WION story “Explained: How AI-generated Propaganda Poses a Real Threat This Historic Election Year.” –Matthew] [Image: Original propaganda and GPT-3-generated AI propaganda were highly persuasive. Credit: Goldstein et al.] AI Propaganda is Dangerously Persuasive and Could Be Used in Covert Operations, New Study Warns By Micah Hanks February 21, 2024…

[This story from Scientific American reports on the latest uses of presence-evoking virtual reality in the study of criminal behavior. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: Credit: Maskot/Getty Images] Virtual Bar Scenes Are a New Tool to Study Why People Commit Crimes in the Heat of the Moment Virtual-reality could assist researchers in decoding how emotions spur a decision to commit a crime By Ingrid Wickelgren February 21, 2024 A young man enters a busy, dimly lit pub in Amsterdam alone to await the arrival of friends. A faint dance beat plays in the background. A drunken man approaches the bar and orders…

[This AP story uses examples and research results to illustrate how VR-based presence experiences are enjoyable and useful for older people. See the original story for seven more photos and a 1:44 minute video. –Matthew] [Image: Retired Army Col. Farrell Patrick, 91, wears a VIVE Flow headset as he participates in Mynd Immersive VR therapy at John Know Village. Credit: AP/Lyne Sladky.] ‘Soaring’ over hills or ‘playing’ with puppies, study finds seniors enjoy virtual reality By Terry Spencer Updated February 19, 2024 POMPANO BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Retired Army Col. Farrell Patrick taught computer science at West Point during the…

[Following the coverage of OpenAI’s Sora software, which lets users generate realistic video from text prompts, the AI voice company ElevenLabs announced new software that adds realistic sound effects to accompany the video, surely enhancing the presence experience of viewers/listeners. This story from New Atlas includes the details and a one-minute video demonstration (also available via YouTube). –Matthew] [Image: “What if you could describe a sound and generate it with AI?” teases ElevenLabs as AI-generated sound effects and dialog are added to video footage generated by Sora from OpenAI. Credit: ElevenLabs.] Stunning new AI adds realistic sound effects to any…