[This essay from the IAI (The Institute of Art and Ideas) provides a vivid, cautionary description of some of the dangers involved in the commercialization and widespread use of artificial intelligence technologies that evoke compelling medium as social actor (MASA) presence illusions. –Matthew] The dangerous illusion of AI consciousness The false dawn of machine minds AI expert and DeepMind contributor Shannon Vallor explores OpenAI’s latest GPT-4o model, based on the ideas of her new book, ‘The AI Mirror’. Despite modest intellectual improvements, AGI’s human-like behaviour raises serious ethical concerns, but as Vallor argues, AI today only presents the illusion of…

[A flurry of press coverage followed Google’s recent announcement that the company is partnering with HP to commercialize its experimental presence-evoking technology Project Starline. The Tom’s Guide story below has some of the details. Follow links in the story and see Google’s webpage for the technology for more information (the latter includes this: “Feel more present with those you connect with: Starline users experience a ~15% increase in visual attentiveness. Enhanced 3D rendering and spatial audio create a sense of presence that helps you truly focus on what matters most.”). Another Tom’s Guide story and coverage from The National and…

[In the right circumstances the sense of spatial presence evoked by technology may lead to better outcomes than the equivalent experience in the nonmediated world. A new study from Drexel University compared brain activity, behavioral measures, and self-assessments when people solved visuospatial problems presented on a 2D computer screen, in virtual reality, and in the nonmediated world. As this story from Drexel reports, the researchers conclude that “VR’s capacity to create immersive spaces – complete with better mental imagery and visual cues for learning – may in some cases be a better option than a traditional real-world or computer screen-based…

[For safety reasons and to enhance the driver’s experience, manufacturers of electric-powered vehicles typically incorporate speakers that add sounds to the minimal noises the vehicles otherwise make (see a 2023 CTech story for details). In the story below, CarBuzz reports on new patents filed by Ferrari for the use of other presence-evoking technologies that create “a fully immersive experience… The end goal is an authentic auditory experience and one that provides genuine acoustic feedback.” See the original version of the story for ten more images. –Matthew] Ferrari Will Make Electric Supercars Sound Good Without Speakers Ferrari is ensuring that even…

[This story from The Verge provides a vivid, example-filled look at how teens are interacting with AI chatbots, with both positive and potentially negative consequences. Here’s just one presence-related quote: “Character.AI users have also struggled with telling their chatbots apart from reality: a popular conspiracy theory, largely spread through screenshots and stories of bots breaking character or insisting that they are real people when prompted, is that Character.AI’s bots are secretly powered by real people.” See the original version of the story for two more images. –Matthew] [Image: Illustration by Ard Su for The Verge] The teens making friends with…

[As reported in this story from MIT Technology Review, the incorporation of AI and other enhancements are expanding the potential effectiveness of social robots in helping to care for patients with dementia; see the original version of the story for a second image. –Matthew] How cuddly robots could change dementia care Researchers are using AI and technological advancements to create companion robots By Cassandra WillyardMay 17, 2024[This article first appeared in The Checkup, MIT Technology Review’s weekly biotech newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Thursday, and read articles like this first, sign up here.] Last week, I scoured…

[The dark side of presence is the focus of this story from Wired about the use of real-time deepfake romance scams. See the original story for two short videos. –Matthew] [Image: Photo illustration credit: Jacqui Vanliew; Getty Images] The Real-Time Deepfake Romance Scams Have Arrived Watch how smooth-talking scammers known as “Yahoo Boys” use widely available face-swapping tech to carry out elaborate romance scams. By Matt BurgessApril 18, 2024 The compliments start flowing as soon as she answers the video call. “Wow, you so pretty, honey,” says the man on the other side of the screen. His video feed shows…

[This thoughtful first-person report from MIT Technology Review describes what it’s like to have the AI startup company Synthesia create a synthetic version of yourself, and considers some of the implications of the fast-evolving technology. This is an abridged version of the story; see the unabridged original for more information, many more images, and two videos. –Matthew] [Image: Credit: David Vintiner] An AI startup made a hyperrealistic deepfake of me that’s so good it’s scary Synthesia’s new technology is impressive but raises big questions about a world where we increasingly can’t tell what’s real. By Melissa HeikkiläApril 25, 2024 I’m…

[Fast Company reports on a new stationary bicycle designed to evoke greater spatial presence and mental engagement in users than the currently available bikes. See the original story for two more images and two videos, and the product’s Kickstarter page for more information. Wired has a somewhat-less-than-enthusiastic review. –Matthew] This ‘Star Trek’-like holographic bicycle could make Peloton obsolete The bike’s specialized display technology tricks your brain into thinking you’re actually riding outdoors. By Jesus DiazMay 10, 2024 Former Google VR researcher Samuel Matson spent the early days of COVID-19 in Colombia. There, he found solace while riding his bike with…

[A portal that connects New York and Dublin has re-opened following some inappropriate behavior by people in both locations, as reported in this story from RTÉ (Raidió Teilifís Éireann, Ireland’s National Public Service Media). The excerpt from coverage by The Guardian that follows below adds context. For more pictures and videos of the portal, see The Cut. –Matthew] [Image: New Yorkers greet people in Dublin during the reveal of the Portal in the Flatiron district in Manhattan, New York, on May 8, 2024. Credit: Brendan McDermid/Reuters. Source: The Guardian.] ‘Portal’ linking Dublin and NYC restarts with set hours May 19, 2024…

[This opinion piece from CNN provides a link-filled summary of the significant advances in the latest version of ChatGPT, including a more informal “personality” that creates a “more natural human-computer interaction” likely to evoke greater medium-as-social-actor presence in users. As the author notes, The Daily Show provided an insightful and entertaining take on the features of ChatGPT-4o. See also the related essay, “I Am Once Again Asking Our Tech Overlords to Watch the Whole Movie. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has seemingly cited Her as an inspiration for ChatGPT’s conversational voice assistant update. Maybe don’t!” in Wired. Here’s a key quote:…

[Presence-evoking digital spaces provide new opportunities to not just mimic real life but create new modes of interaction and learning. This story from Aalto University in Finland describes an interesting example in the context of dance instruction. Watch the 1:32 minute video in the original story (and available on YouTube) to see how the innovative WAVE technique works. –Matthew] [Image: The WAVE technique demonstrated in a video screenshot. Credit: Markus Laattala.] Researchers develop a new way to instruct dance in Virtual Reality The new virtual reality technique makes it easier to join a dance routine without first having to learn…