International Society
for Presence Research

Author: Matthew Lombard

  • “A little too human-like”: Figure 01 is a multi-tasking conversational robot infused with OpenAI tech

    Published:

    [A new video featuring interactions with the AI-powered robot Figure 01 demonstrates technical advancements likely to new levels of medium-as-social-actor presence. It’s getting lots of attention from the public, press and experts in AI and robotics. Details are in stories below from Mashable and Decrypt; the 2:34 minute video is featured in the original versions of both stories and is available on YouTube. –Matthew] [Image: Source: Decrypt] It’s like ChatGPT with a body: Watch creepy demo of OpenAI-powered robot ‘Figure 01’ I prefer my ChatGPT disembodied, thank you very much. By Kimberly Gedeon March 14, 2024 A creepy demo of…

    Read more: “A little too human-like”: Figure 01 is a multi-tasking conversational robot infused with OpenAI tech

  • Call: The Limits of Fiction Workshop

    Published:

    Call for Abstracts The Limits of Fiction November 21-22, 2024 Paris, France https://sites.google.com/view/limitsoffiction2024 Submission deadline: April 15, 2024 Two-day workshop on the 21st and 22nd of November at College de France (Paris) on the limits of fiction, organized by François Recanati and Merel Semeijn. We invite submissions of abstracts for presentations in philosophy, semantics and/or other fields that are related to the workshop theme. WORKSHOP THEME This workshop brings together researchers that explore the limits of the concept of ‘fiction’, or the limits of fiction itself. Topics of interest include: What are limit cases of fiction? What phenomena can we…

    Read more: Call: The Limits of Fiction Workshop

  • VR headsets can be hacked with an Inception-style attack

    Published:

    [The frightening prospect of hackers stealing information and manipulating the presence experiences of virtual reality users without their awareness is described in this story from MIT Technology Review. In the “Twisting Reality” section of the story an expert notes that “There is no way to authenticate what you are seeing once you go into virtual reality, and the immersiveness of the technology makes people trust it more.” –Matthew] [Image: Art by Dogboy] VR headsets can be hacked with an Inception-style attack Researchers managed to crack Meta’s Quest VR system, allowing them to steal sensitive information, and manipulate social interactions.…

    Read more: VR headsets can be hacked with an Inception-style attack

  • Call: Digital Technologies and Identity (Hybrid symposium)

    Published:

    Call for Abstracts Digital Technologies and Identity Tilburg School of Humanities & Digital Sciences, Tilburg University, The Netherlands, and online July 4-5, 2024 https://philevents.org/event/show/120862 Submission deadline: April 30, 2024 Artificial intelligence, algorithms, and other digital technologies impact and transform our identities in various ways. Algorithms perform a wide range of tasks for us, changing the nature of work and our identities as workers. They decide who gets a mortgage, who earns parole, and who is invited to a job interview, constraining our life choices. Algorithms on social media influence how we vote, what groups we align with, and how we…

    Read more: Call: Digital Technologies and Identity (Hybrid symposium)

  • AI-generated Marilyn Monroe chatbot can hold an extended conversation with ‘realistic emotions’ and expressions, company claims

    Published:

    [As reported by Variety, Marilyn Monroe is the latest celebrity to be replicated via technology, this time as an interacting, AI-based chatbot said to mimic and engage with users more effectively than previous efforts. Coverage from Decrypt adds these details: “The idea, Soul Machine explained in a blog post, was fueled by more than nostalgia. Advances in AI tech, the company said, can help honor and reimagine iconic figures in an interactive and engaging way.’From static search to text-based chat to conversational AI, we are witnessing a rapid paradigm shift as we begin to head into conversational chat with multimodal…

    Read more: AI-generated Marilyn Monroe chatbot can hold an extended conversation with ‘realistic emotions’ and expressions, company claims

  • Call: Perception in Games and Virtual Worlds Workshop II

    Published:

    Call for Papers PERCEPTION IN GAMES AND VIRTUAL WORLDS Workshop II May 10-11, 2024 Regenbogenfabrik, Lausitzer Str. 21a Berlin, Germany https://www.gamephilosophy.org/2024/03/cfp-perception-in-games-and-virtual-worlds-ii-10-11-may-2024/ https://sites.google.com/view/perceptioningames/ Submission deadline for abstracts: April 11, 2024 Both traditional games and games that take place in virtual environments rely on play states designed around their perceptual features. This is apparent by the fact that they prominently rely on phenomenal spatial structures, but also by a variety of perceptual roles that enter into elements like storytelling, sound, kinesthetic feedback and immersive design. How should we understand the character of perception in games and virtual environments? While normal perception registers…

    Read more: Call: Perception in Games and Virtual Worlds Workshop II

  • MAGA uses AI to invent pictures of Trump with Black people

    Published:

    [The latest use of generative artificial intelligence to evoke mistaken perceptions about the role of technology in media experiences involves fabricated images of Donald Trump with Black people, as reported in this story from Futurism. For more images and information, see the original version of the story, as well as the mentioned BBC report and broader coverage from AP. –Matthew] [Image: Source: BBC] MAGA Uses AI to Invent Pictures of Trump With Black People “I’m not claiming it’s accurate.” By Maggie Harrison Dupré March 4, 2024 MAGA influencers are turning to generative AI to fabricate photos of presidential candidate Donald…

    Read more: MAGA uses AI to invent pictures of Trump with Black people

  • Call: 3rd Workshop on Epistemology and AI

    Published:

    Call for Abstracts 3rd Workshop on Epistemology & AI University of Luxembourg June 13-14, 2024 https://philevents.org/event/show/119742 Submission deadline: April 15, 2024 Invited Speakers: Gloria Andrada (Universidade Nova de Lisboa) Claire Benn (Cambridge University) Aliya R. Dewey (University of Erlangen-Nuremberg) Jumbly Grindrod (University of Reading) Manolo Martínez (Universitat de Barcelona) Organisers: Aleks Knoks (University of Luxembourg) Thomas Raleigh (University of Luxembourg) DESCRIPTION The purpose of this workshop is to explore how recent advances in AI technology intersect with epistemological topics and debates. Some possible topics include, but are by no means limited to, the following: (i) How (if at all) is…

    Read more: Call: 3rd Workshop on Epistemology and AI

  • Inflection’s Pi AI chatbot aims to provide information and a shoulder to cry on

    Published:

    [An artificially intelligent chatbot called Pi (Personal intelligence) is designed to combine “factual and emotional support,” which seems particularly likely to evoke medium-as-social-actor presence. Some of the details are reported in this story from ZDNet (where the original includes a second image). For more information, see the mentioned May 2023 Inflection blog post; see the links at the end of the story to interact with Pi yourself. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: Carol Yepes/Getty Images] Inflection’s Pi AI aims to provide information and a shoulder to cry on Designed to be empathetic, helpful, and safe, Pi also boasts improved skills in such…

    Read more: Inflection’s Pi AI chatbot aims to provide information and a shoulder to cry on

  • Call: Experiential Learning in Communication Division at National Communication Association (NCA) 2024 Conference

    Published:

    [NOTE: See the NCA website for more presence-related calls. –Matthew] CALLS FOR SUBMISSIONS: Proposals for Experiential Learning in Communication Division at National Communication Association (NCA) 2024 Conference November 21-24, 2024 New Orleans, LA, USA https://www.natcom.org/call-submissions Submission deadline: March 27, 2024 Experiential Learning in Communication welcomes your submissions for our sessions in New Orleans, Louisiana. Experiential learning involves creating and facilitating direct, practical learning experiences for students and asking them to reflect on the learning process. This division focuses on the practice of experiential learning with the goal of understanding the process and impacts of the communication process in our world.…

    Read more: Call: Experiential Learning in Communication Division at National Communication Association (NCA) 2024 Conference

  • L.A. police department survey finds cadets rated VR training ‘excellent,’ want more

    Published:

    [This short story from Police1 reports that Los Angeles Police Department cadets offer overwhelmingly positive assessments of the use of presence-evoking virtual reality in their training. See the V-Armed website for more information about the form and content of the training; the website’s Press page features links to many print and video news reports. –Matthew] LAPD survey finds cadets rated VR training ‘excellent,’ want more The V-Armed training has been in use at the department since 2022, and trains cadets in situations surrounding de-escalation, mental health and use of force By Joanna Putman, Police1 March 7, 2024 LOS ANGELES —…

    Read more: L.A. police department survey finds cadets rated VR training ‘excellent,’ want more

  • Call: LLMs and the Patterns of Human Language Use (Hybrid Workshop)

    Published:

    CALL FOR PAPERS LLMs and the Patterns of Human Language Use (Hybrid Workshop) Berlin (Weizenbaum Institute / TU Berlin) & online August 29-30, 2024 https://www.denkwerkstatt.berlin/NEXT-EVENT Submission deadline: April 15, 2024 Large Language Models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT and other generative AI systems are the subject of widespread discussions. They are often used to produce output that ‘makes sense’ in the context of a prompt, such as completing or modifying a text, answering questions, or generating an image or video from a description. However, little is yet known about the possibilities and implications of human-sounding machines entering human communication. The seemingly…

    Read more: Call: LLMs and the Patterns of Human Language Use (Hybrid Workshop)

ISPR Presence News

Subscribe

Search ISPR Presence News:

Categories

Archives

Recent Posts

Recent Comments