[Much of the coverage of the latest advancement in the ability of AI to generate presence-evoking images – this time of fashion models who don’t exist – points to the potential dangers. The story below is from Futurism (where you can watch the 0:44 minute demo video), and here’s a quote from BGR’s coverage:  “This technology is impressive, but at the same time it also seems to herald something that humanity still has not fully come to grips with yet. It’s only a matter of time before AI masters the creation of fake human speech and other things that, along…

[For a wide variety of emerging technologies (including virtual assistants, IoT devices, and robots) to evoke convincing social presence illusions will require a spark of human creativity (or at least the appearance of it). This story from Wired explores the progress and challenges in the context of humor and storytelling; see the original for a second picture. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: Elena Lacey; Getty Images] The Comedian Is In The Machine. AI Is Now Learning Puns Gregory Barber May 3 2019 Here’s a groaner for you: The greyhound stopped to get a hare cut. Don’t blame dad for this one. Blame…

[I recommend watching the new four-minute 360-degree film Merger on Vimeo before you read this story from Dezeen about Keiichi Matsuda’s thought-provoking new and previous films. See the original story for two more images and a 3:13 minute video interview with Matsuda about the future of augmented reality. –Matthew] [Image: A workplace in Merger: Interfaces are projected onto the surfaces and change throughout the day.] Keiichi Matsuda explores dystopian future of the workplace in new film Merger Anna Winston 17 January 2019 London-based designer Keiichi Matsuda suggests how augmented reality will define the workstation of the future, in a short…

[This short story from Forbes by an advertising industry expert describes how a clever new campaign for Coke evokes a vivid sensory presence illusion using only still images and the viewer’s experience. See the original story for larger images of the ad below and two others in the campaign. –Matthew] ‘Listen’ To These New Print Ads From Coca-Cola Will Burns, an advertising veteran and current CEO of Ideasicle.com. April 26, 2019 You don’t typically think a print ad can be audible. But Coca-Cola recently launched a print/outdoor campaign in Europe that, despite trying your best, you’ll very likely hear.…

[The “virtual beings” company Fable Studio is developing innovative AI-based immersive storytelling experiences that emphasize interaction and empathy with characters. The story below from Engadget provides details and includes the video trailer for the new chapter of ‘Wolves in the Walls.’ I especially like the comment here by director Pete Billington about the need to maintain the [presence] illusion by not letting the user “see the edges.” For more information see coverage in Variety and Forbes, and a guest column in Entrepreneur by Fable Co-Founder Edward Saatchi where he argues that in the future our Operating Systems will be “characters.”…

[This press release from Qualisys describes what looks like a clever use of presence to enhance a traditional amusement park attraction; follow the link below for pictures and videos, and there are more videos on YouTube here and here. –Matthew] Qualisys and HolodeckVR join forces to produce the world’s first Virtual Reality bumper cars The “Steampunk VR Scooter” attraction at Erlebnispark Schloss Thurn in Germany gives visitors a unique, futuristic VR experience with all the interactive fun of traditional fairground bumper cars April 29, 2019 Gothenburg, 29 April 2019 —Qualisys, the leading provider of precision motion capture technology and 3D…

[This short story from IndieWire describes a clever use of presence-evoking VR in the process of creating the new animated film version of The Lion King. See the Entertainment Weekly story for more details and images, and a 2015 post in ISPR Presence News about the use of VR for an earlier version of The Lion King. –Matthew] [Image: Source: Entertainment Weekly] The Insane Way Jon Favreau Directed ‘The Lion King’ on a Virtual Reality Set Making “The Lion King” fused together filmmaking, virtual reality, and video games. Zack Sharf Apr 26, 2019 Jon Favreau’s upcoming “The Lion King” is…

[Horton and Wohl (1956) explained how radio and TV presenters evoke parasocial interaction and relationships; this story from Gizmodo describes one way these forms of presence have evolved in the digital age. See the original version of the story for three more images. –Matthew] [Image: Screenshot of storyteller Mars on Twitch] The Gentle Side of Twitch Nicole Carpenter April 23, 2019 “Hi! I see you, but I’m focused on the reading right now. I can chat during the next break!” This message popped up on the stream from Ryan Blake Hall, better known as Storyteller Mars on Twitch. He was…

[This story from Richard van Hooijdonk is a status report on the uses of presence-evoking technology to improve the lives of children with autism. See the original version for several (different) images and a video; KHQA has a 1:34 minute video report about the Department of Education project; and for more context see an October 2018 “deep dive” story from Spectrum. –Matthew] [Image: From Freethink’s story “Using Virtual Reality to Help Kids with Autism,” which includes a 7:25 minute video.] Using VR to help children with autism deal with the world around them March 8, 2019 The US Department of…

[The VR company Parallux has created a new type of shared presence experience for audiences, as reported in this story from Techradar. See the original story for more pictures, and for more information see the NYU news release and an interview in No Proscenium. The Hollywood Reporter has a rundown of the VR-AR programming at the upcoming Tribeca Film Festival. –Matthew] Are shared experiences the future of virtual reality? By Catherine Ellis April 23, 2019 VR is traditionally a lonely experience. After slipping on a headset, you’re typically isolated (even if you’re sitting in a group), and even multi-person experiences…

[In addition to describing new research on the use of presence to treat a specific symptom of depression, this story from STAT provides a link-rich summary of its use in other aspects of mental health care. –Matthew] Can virtual reality boost positive feelings in patients with depression? By Megan Thielking April 22, 2019 Michelle Craske is asking patients to dive into coral reefs, ride on bullet trains rushing past pine trees, and cheer on soccer teams from the stands — at least virtually — in a bid to tackle a symptom long sidelined in depression treatment. The University of California,…

[This story from The A.V. Club nicely captures some of the challenges of creating compelling presence experiences using virtual reality. The original story includes the trailer video for “Spheres: Songs Of Spacetime”; for more information about “Spheres” see UniFrance and for more on “Dinner Party” see that film’s website.  –Matthew] [Image: Robert Rodriguez’s The Limit. Credit: STX Financing, LLC.] A Robert Rodriguez virtual-reality film captures the push and pull between VR’s past and future Alex McLevy April 18, 2019 Unless your name is James Cameron, you’re probably a little skeptical of the recent surge in virtual reality as a medium…