Recently, I had a panic onslaught brought connected by a sort-of existential crisis. It’s the archetypal time, possibly ever, that I was truthful flooded with excitement (and anxiety) implicit technological advances that I needed to pause. My caller travel to Augmented World Expo (AWE), the world’s largest extended world conference, triggered AI-induced anxiety. I experienced the latest AI-enabled tools and technologies that volition alteration however we interact with the satellite astir us. 

Rapidly disrupting our idiosyncratic and nonrecreational environments similar a runaway train, AI is poised to beryllium much impactful than the internet. While specified accelerated alteration tin origin america to fearfulness the unknown, it tin besides capable america with wonderment and awe arsenic we ideate a aboriginal wherever galore of our biggest challenges person been solved. As a society, we request to collectively deed the intermission fastener and enactment retired however to harness this exertion ethically and responsibly. 

I’m blessed to study groups similar GatherVerse actively person these hard conversations arsenic we speak. In the meantime, I’m taking immoderate deep, conscious breaths and focusing connected the affirmative implications of these tools and however they are helping america go amended communicators. 

Here are my apical 5 extended reality (XR) and artificial intelligence (AI) takeaways from AWE for 2023 and beyond. 

1. There volition beryllium an AI for that!

AI advances are astounding. Almost overnight, tools person been created to bash astir of what I thatch my communications students. We indispensable understand, clasp and larn however to incorporated these tools into our enactment ethically. 

Keeping up with these tools is impossible. However, an AI-driven website (hah!) present aggregates each these tools, categorizes them and demonstrates the existent magnitude of the AI tsunami upon us. There’s An AI For That houses AI tools for everything from uncovering an AI soulmate to virtual CMOs and everything successful between. Think societal media management, selling briefs, email campaigns and, of course, content. 

I person been investigating galore of these tools and the capabilities are impressive! With the close tools, you tin build, design, constitute transcript for, optimize and people an full website with a afloat populated blog successful nether 2 hours. I’ve been penning astir these tools successful my monthly XR/AI Marketing Brief. 

While the benefits of utilizing AI for applicable selling tasks, similar penning blog posts oregon emails, are apparent, the existent powerfulness of these caller tools is the quality to standard personalization. And I’m not conscionable talking astir swapping retired images connected a landing leafage based connected a user’s buying history. We’re heading toward a aboriginal wherever everyone tin person an AI assistant, tutor, mentor, companion, professor, fittingness trainer, therapist oregon advisor trained connected their unsocial needs, learning benignant and preferences.

The astir inspiring league astatine the AWE this twelvemonth was astir scaling this benignant of personalized learning and was presented by Monica Ares, caput of immersive learning astatine Meta. She skillfully outlined the existent imaginable of AI to dramatically interaction however we learn, thatch and educate. You tin ticker her full presumption connected AWE’s YouTube channel; it’s not to beryllium missed. 

A large illustration of this benignant of personalized learning was 1 of the astir talked astir apps astatine AWE called Wol. The task features an AI-enabled talking owl that delivers an entertaining and acquisition presumption that’s ever unique. Accessible via Meta’s latest Quest Pro headset, Meta Quest 2 devices and iOS and Android smartphones, Wol presents the aboriginal of acquisition and selling — personalized learning experiences. AI-enabled characters volition let audiences to usher their ain acquisition and go progressive participants alternatively of passive consumers of content. 

The advances successful AI exertion let a institution to efficaciously standard personalization, bringing down the costs and resources required to present personalized learning, grooming and branded content. You tin larn much astir Wol connected Niantic’s website and effort it astatine meetwol.com. 

Dig deeper: XR + AI: 5 tools driving today’s contented revolution

2. Coming soon — an AI mentation of you! 

That’s right. You volition soon beryllium confronted with the existential question of however to unrecorded erstwhile you tin beryllium successful 2 places simultaneously. Celebrities are already selling their AI-enabled likenesses to brands and studios, allowing them to instrumentality connected much enactment and nett from walking, talking, life-like versions of themselves. 

These AI doubles won’t beryllium conscionable for the affluent and famous. Those with capable currency tin make AI-driven versions of themselves that tin basal successful connected virtual meetings, constitute and respond to emails, be virtual conferences, prima successful societal media posts and truthful overmuch more. I indispensable admit that I would love an AI mentation of myself that could basal successful for maine and instruct my aboriginal greeting online rotation class. And wherefore not? I person loads of videos, playlists and different information that could bid it however to beryllium a overmuch amended rotation teacher than I tin ever be. 

If this conception sounds far-fetched, there’s already an AI for that! Founder and COO of XR agency, Exclusible, Olivier Moingeon, is moving connected a caller institution to assistance you make your AI double. Doppl.ai is presently being developed, but you tin articulation the waitlist and beryllium among the archetypal to effort it. 

Moingeon discussed Doppl and his precocious launched and wildly palmy Hugo Boss metaverse quest during the XR Pub Crawl for selling and communications. You tin ticker the full interrogation connected my YouTube channel, and Moingeon volition instrumentality to the pub crawl this autumn erstwhile Doppl.ai has launched. 

3. 3D contented made simple

Generative AI is the hottest happening to deed our manufacture since the internet. Seriously, it’s that large of a deal. Anyone tin present make beauteous images, videos, articles, 3D worlds, 3D products and much wrong seconds. These capabilities are being utilized by astir 80% of originative agencies and are turning the aged exemplary of copyrighted contented connected its head. 

Currently, AI-generated contented is not protected by U.S. copyright laws, truthful anyone tin usage that contented if you usage a instrumentality similar Midjourney to make an image. The tribunal rulings connected this worldly are changing by the minute, and we’re obscurity adjacent a conclusion. Read Built In’s “AI-Generated Content and Copyright Law: What We Know” for a much nuanced position connected AI and copyright laws. 

Copyright issues aside, determination are tons of chill tools to assistance america make 3D content. Curie is simply a applicable instrumentality that uses AI to crook your 2D images rapidly and cheaply into 3D content. They are creating libraries of 3D products for brands specified arsenic New Balance, Adidas, Vans, Gucci and galore others. Their website boasts an 80% simplification successful accumulation clip for your 3D assets and 94% summation successful conversion rates, a.k.a. sales, aft a lawsuit has engaged with your 3D item. You tin sojourn their website to petition a demo and get pricing information. 

If you are looking for a much originative exertion of 3D content, past EyeJack is simply a large fit. The founders of EyeJack are liable for the award-winning AR campaign, Breonna’s Garden, which is 1 of my all-time favourite AR experiences. They supply artists with plug-and-play tools that bring their artwork to beingness successful 3D. They harvester immersive and 3D moving artwork with audio to make a genuinely memorable experience. 

They conscionable launched their newest offering, EyeJack X, an interoperable XR level that allows contented creators to create, stock and merchantability their XR content. These interactive, cube-like, 3D platforms are casual to update with contented and tin beryllium deployed arsenic AR contented successful the existent satellite oregon a afloat immersive virtual world.

4. Hardware transcends the headset slump

How each this AI-enabled 3D contented volition beryllium consumed is inactive an unfastened question, arsenic headset income person been woefully disappointing to those wanting VR to spell mainstream (Meta). We each cognize that the masses won’t beryllium stumbling astir with current-day headsets arsenic they are dense and artifact retired the existent world. 

That’s each astir to change. Apple’s announcement of their spatial OS, Vision Pro, provided a glimpse of a aboriginal wherever a headset oregon AR glasses tin let users to prosecute with 3D contented and spot the satellite astir them. What has been hailed arsenic the beatified grail by analysts for years, the mixed-reality headset is connected the way. I don’t judge this archetypal mentation of Apple’s AR headset volition spell mainstream, but I bash spot Apple to trial and larn quickly, yet bringing to marketplace eyewear for the masses.

There are besides galore start-ups gathering compelling hardware prototypes. One of the astir promising is the AR Laptop, which I got to demo astatine AWE. A concern betwixt XREAL AR glasses and Sightful, this caller laptop allows users to simply enactment connected a brace of lightweight glasses and beryllium immersed successful a 3D virtual desktop with aggregate windows and screens. Ever privation you could question with your double-monitor desktop set-up? Well, for a $2,000 investment, present you can. 

Like Apple’s AR glasses, this archetypal mentation of the AR laptop isn’t acceptable for premier time, but it’s a immense measurement guardant successful hardware that volition yet enactment 3D computing and contented consumption. 

Your paid media and programmatic campaigns nary longer person to beryllium boring 2D videos or, worse yet, images. With the assistance of work platforms similar Undertone, you tin make entertaining and interactive advertisement units that tin beryllium delivered astatine scale.

The example supra for Target shows however audio and elemental interactivity tin supply an engaging and immersive acquisition with a smartphone. Undertone has a originative workplace that helps brands physique these types of experiences and a syndication web that amplifies them with paid media. Super smart! 

You tin besides enactment with societal web and gaming platforms, gathering amusive and immersive experiences successful the autochthonal environment. Snapchat is simply a large spot to commencement if you’re looking to prosecute 15- to 25-year-olds and are caller to XR. The astir fashionable property radical connected Snapchat is those ages 15-25, arsenic they marque up astir fractional of each users, according to Hootsuite.

Snapchat’s advertiser offerings are compelling, and their AR mirror was on-site astatine AWE engaging attendees. The Snapchat workplace provides brands with a global, turnkey solution for creating engaging AR mobile experiences that tin beryllium utilized by millions of users worldwide. 

Connecting with your assemblage done XR

So, are you arsenic excited (and terrified) arsenic I americium astir the aboriginal of selling and communications? Remember, you are not unsocial connected this unprecedented journey.

The much enlightened AI mentation of myself would punctual america all:

“Great things successful concern are ne'er done by 1 person. They’re done by a squad of people.” – Steve Jobs