OpenAI’s recent acquisition heralds the beginning of a new direction in generative AI away from screen-based user experiences
Recent teaser advertisement from OpenAI founder The South by South West conference in London featured a discussion between Jony Ive and Sam Altman (19459063), co-designer for the iPhone, iPod and Apple Watch, as well as AirPods.
In the YouTube video that begins in a café, Altman speaks about the limitations of ChatGPT due to how it is accessed. “If I wanted ChatGPT to answer a question, I’d get on my computer, open it, and launch a browser,” he says. “I would start typing, and I’d need to explain this thing, and then I’d hit enter, and wait, and then I’d get a reply.”
Altman thinks artificial intelligence (AI), deserves something better.
OpenAI acquired LoveFrom last month, the company founded by Ive for $6.4bn. The acquisition was made to accelerate the development of new technologies that integrate AI. Ive said, “I’m absolutely certain that we’re literally on the cusp of a new technology that can help us become better versions of ourselves.” Megan Wastell (global creative director at Merlin Entertainment) said that while it is unclear what the two have in mind for the hardware, she noted during a SXSW panel discussion that as hardware improves and user interfaces change, there are more opportunities to deliver a seamless storytelling experience.
She said, “I am intrigued by the announcement that Jony Ive and OpenAI are working on some kind of AI. [Ive and Altman] stated quite clearly that it is not a VR headset.” “It is not something you see.”
Wastell invited the audience to think about a user experience in which interfaces and hardware play a lesser role than what people are used. She sees the potential to use headsets to give executives an immersive experience of a theme park ride that is currently being developed. Wastell explained that by using advanced computer technology: “We can show more realistic versions of what we’re imagining earlier in the [development] process.”
She said this would avoid misunderstandings later on, when the final product was delivered. The company used the 3D creation tool Unreal Engine in order to create models that helped stakeholders understand what a team building a new product was trying to achieve.
In 2024, Merlin Entertainment will announce Adventures Made Real – a global strategic alliance with Mojang Studios – the creators of Minecraft. The collaboration aims at bringing Minecraft adventures to the real world via immersive and interactive entertainment attractions.
These tie-ups connect the real world to the world of computer games. As Wastell pointed out, there are also practical considerations to be made when visitors need to wear virtual reality or augmented-reality headsets. There are also operational questions, such as the size, weight and need to clean the headsets after each use.
She said, “We’ve got a challenge to solve: we have to clean the headsets before they can be used by the next person. It’s a big task.” “One of my dreams is to stand at the border [of an attraction] with holograms in front of us.
Shared Experiences
The discussion panel, which included Philip Watson as vice-president for emerging technology strategy at Time Warner explored the emergence and development of immersive experiences beyond augmented reality and virtuality. Watson discussed the 2022 groundbreaking experience of Damon Albarn’s virtual band Gorillaz. The band used New York’s Times Square in New York and Piccadilly Circus, London, as backdrops for immersive experiences. “I think it’s like breaking the illusion that reality is real,” he said. “It’s a very special thing to witness.”
The panel’s discussion brought up the interesting idea that content in today’s digital age is a very personal experience. It is accessed through a device such as a smartphone or tablet. The creative industry wants to share experiences, something that the tech industry has not yet done successfully. Watson said, “Music is a beautiful shared experience.”
“We lose that sometimes when we use headsets for our phones.”
He acknowledged, however, that online technology can be very effective at connecting people from around the globe. Watson said, “What I am really excited to see over the next few years is the ability to share an experience in a common arena together.”
by Alison Roller.
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