[As generative AI and image editing software become more powerful, it’s increasingly difficult to separate the many “real” (original, camera-generated) and “fake” (computer generated or manipulated) images we encounter, which means that both presence and inverse presence are becoming more common. A new promotion for Skylum’s Luminar software provides a potentially powerful demonstration: The “Can you spot what’s real?” game has users earn points by accurately determining whether each in a series of images is “AI generated or a real photo.” A brief introduction to the game from Luminar on Instagram is below (see the original post for six different…

[This first-person report from LionhearTV via MSN describes the experience and user reactions to what sounds like an impressive VR concert film being shown in theaters around the world (in this case in Cubao, Metro Manila, the Philippines). See the original version of the story for six different images and a 1:42 minute video. For more details, see a review from AsiaOne and the LE SSERAFIM website; for more context on VR concert films by K-pop artists see a story in the Korea Herald. –Matthew] [Image: Source: The First Times] LE SSERAFIM VR concert at Gateway Cineplex delivers a stunning…

[The potential applications and benefits of brain-computer interfaces go far beyond presence, but most of them do involve overlooking the role of technology in perception (at least over time). This abridged version of a clear and balanced story about BCIs is from Bloomberg via the Japan Times, where the original includes two more images. Note especially the last two sections, about uses beyond medicine (including allowing consumers “to question AI chatbots with their thoughts and receive the answers through their headphones,” and soldiers to pilot drones with their thoughts), and the barriers to successful widespread adoption of the technology. –Matthew]…

[A virtual school founded in 2021 in South Florida offers all of its courses in virtual reality, as reported in this story from WPLG Local 10 in Miami. See the original version for a 2:56 minute video report. For more information and press coverage see the Optima Academy Online website; there’s also some relevant discussion on the homeschool subreddit. –Matthew] Virtual reality and AI are transforming the classroom experience in South Florida By Saira Anwer, ReporterMay 15, 2026 School is getting a high-tech makeover in South Florida, where students are stepping into virtual classrooms powered by artificial intelligence and virtual…

[Although it can be hard to detect (optical illusions provide a glimpse), it’s clear that we don’t perceive the reality around us directly, but a subjective version of it constructed by our senses and brain. Consistent with philosophy’s simulation argument that what we perceive as reality is likely a sophisticated computer simulation, the fascinating story below from Popular Mechanics via Yahoo! News uses a relatable presence metaphor, the logic of evolutionary game theory, and recent developments in the field of physics to argue for an “interface theory” of perception in which we can only experience the interface, not the complex…

[The evolution of screen-related technologies has expanded the potential of virtual windows and skylights to evoke presence, as described in this story from Global Design News. See the original version of the story for five more images. For more about the Prospect-Refuge theory mentioned near the end, see a March 2025 article in the environmental psychology journal ArchPsych. –Matthew] OpenView Luminous Virtual Windows by Sky Factory: Reimagining Interior Space Through the Illusion of Nature May 8, 2026 Fairfield, Iowa, USA – OpenView Luminous Virtual Windows transform enclosed interiors into immersive environments filled with light, depth, and the sensation of open…

[This story from the conservative newspaper The Washington Times describes multiple factors that are said to magnify the negative impacts of presence-evoking political ads on television and social media for older voters. See the original version of the story for a 7:19 minute video report. Note that Thomas Massie and John Cornyn both lost their re-election campaigns. –Matthew] ‘More real than real’: Why deep-fake political ads are fooling older Americans By Seth McLaughlinMay 18, 2026 When Rep. Thomas Massie raised the alarm about an artificial intelligence-generated attack ad that falsely shows him in a romantic scenario with two liberal Democratic…

[An ISPR Presence News post a few months ago provided a first-person report on the impressive ability of the Google Beam system to evoke social presence with another person; the story below from CNET provides a similar report on the system’s ability to evoke presence with an AI-generated simulation of another person. The author also considers a variety of applications and implications of the technology. –Matthew] [Image: Google Beam just got an experimental video AI agent. I don’t know what its name is. Oh and that’s an AI generated image of my cameraman and myself in the room. Credit: Scott…

[In this essay from HackerNoon, neuropsychologist Nargiza Noimann-Zander argues that content, hardware comfort and time spent engaging with a user interface are less important in the success of virtual social worlds, and especially clinical applications, of immersive media technologies than presence. For more about the author, see a biography in CIO Times, the Noimann Academy website, and her ORCID profile. –Matthew] Why Clinical VR Is Succeeding Where the Metaverse Failed By Nargiza Noimann-Zander, Neuropsychologist, VR therapy innovator, and founder of X-Technology. Focused on AI/VR solutions for cancer & Alzheimer’s.April 28th, 2026 When Meta spent billions building a virtual social world…

[Utrecht University researchers have used a cleverly designed presence experience to teach game players about the important but often confusing and controversial topic of evolution. There are more images in the original version of this story and more details in the researchers’ article in the European Journal of STEM Education. In the article they explain how their choice to have players take the role of fungi in the Zombie Ants VR game was in part because of the popularity of the HBO series and video game The Last of Us. They write that they used virtual reality because it ”provides…

[As the effectiveness of generative artificial intelligence increases, a viral stunt demonstrates the power of labels and expectations to shape perception and evoke not just presence but inverse presence. This story is from DesignTAXI, where the original version includes many embedded social media posts that illustrate the misperception. For more details and post excerpts, see coverage in Fortune, PetaPixel and the Stable Diffusion subreddit. –Matthew] Real Monet got mistaken as AI copy, and everyone kept ripping it apart May 20, 2026 More than a century after Claude Monet painted Water Lilies, an image of the work managed to fool millions…

[The expert author of this essay from Robotics & Automation News makes a strong argument for, and predictions about, the increased use of telepresence in a wide variety of remote work settings. –Matthew] Expert opinion: Extending remote work to the factory floor through telepresence By David EdwardsGuest author: Yonas Teodros Tefera, research team lead of the Vicarios Lab in the Department of Advanced Robotics at the Italian Institute of TechnologyMay 13, 2026 Remote work has largely been defined by office jobs. Video calls, shared documents, and digital collaboration tools have allowed knowledge workers to operate from almost anywhere.…