The end of loneliness

/ Digital Avatars, Focus: AR/VR, Macro trends, Thought bites, Virtual reality

Reposted from linkedin

Heard a really sweet story today by Donna Z. Davis, Ph.D. at AWE (Augmented World Expo): she told the audience about an elderly woman with Parkinson\’s, who regularly \”meets\” her tuxedo clad physically distant son (avatar) in VR to go dancing with him. *That\’s* the power of VR for me. Not the whiz bang isn\’t it cool game stuff, it\’s the human element – and how much better it can make people\’s lives. On the We Get Real AF Podcast (airing in June) I was asked what I thought the ultimate benefit of VR would be: my answer, without missing a beat, was \”The end of loneliness.\” And I really believe that. 

#VR #loneliness #VRforhumanity #immersivetech #wegetrealaf #spatialcomputing #AWE2020 #Decahedralist

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Book published!

/ Appearances & Press, Artificial intelligence, Augmented reality, Best of, Deepfakes, Digital Avatars, Digital marketing, Focus: AR/VR, Virtual reality
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Excited to announce that I\’ve joined the ranks of published authors, and some illustrious colleagues – I\’m Chapter 19, \”Immersive Media and Branding: How Being a Brand Will Change and Expand in the Age of True Immersion\” in the just-published-today Handbook of Research on the Global Impacts and Roles of Immersive Media.

My chapter explores the impact immersive technologies—augmented reality and virtual reality—will have on consumer branding and business in the near and longer term future. Weaving multiple use cases and examples throughout, I discuss the next phase of experiential marketing: how immersive branding will develop as spatial computing becomes more mainstream, and how brands can start thinking about how they can leverage the technology.

I also examine the rise of virtual influencers, how they will affect social media marketing—and how artificial intelligence will ultimately enable true one-to-one interaction with customers through virtual avatars. Finally, I outline and discuss the risks, rules and recommendations for how to successfully proceed as a brand curious about how to best harness the technologies.

This was a great experience, and I want to thank Jacquelyn (Jacki) Morie for the opportunity to be included, and for being an editor par excellence.

Link to purchase here: https://www.igi-global.com/book/handbook-research-global-impacts-roles/236585

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Digital humans

/ Artificial intelligence, Deepfakes, Digital Avatars

Digital avatars, ultimately fueled by AI…it\’s a thing, and I talk about how brands will be using this tech in my book chapter being published this January.

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Deepak Chopra aims to bring a digital version of himself to a critical mass of 1 billion smart phones.

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/12/05/deepak-chopra-is-coming-to-phones-as-an-ai-chatbot.html

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Never be lonely again: Digital humans

/ Artificial intelligence, Branding, Digital Avatars, Facebook post

I spend a fair amount of time in my book chapter talking about intelligent (AI) bots / artificial humans and how brands can use them to create more meaningful relationships with customers. Fascinating stuff. And as AI and natural language processing improves (eg, real conversation) continues to improve in parallel with improving graphics and streaming, we\’ll be able to interact in ways that will be indistinguishable from \”real\”.

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This New Zealand based company is one of a handful working on developing that dream.

UneeQ (previously FaceMe) has taken in $10 million in funding so far to develop digital representations of humans that interact with you in much the same way as a real person would to drive emotional connection, loyalty, and trust between a business and its customers. And while this is a business application, I have no doubts that we will \”have\” digital humans as friends, companions, advisors – whatever we need. Interacting with computing through natural language, and with something that looks, sounds and \”feels\” completely human is the ultimate goal of spatial computer.

Competitios to Uneeq include Neon, Didimo, Soul Machines (love that name), and others; and while many currently think the uncanny valley a barrier, I believe that as time progresses we\’ll *expect* our technology to seem natural.

Turning AI Chatbots Into Digital Humans

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Going to be a published author!

/ Appearances & Press, Artificial intelligence, Augmented reality, Branding, Digital Avatars, Focus: AR/VR, Predictions, Virtual reality

So my first professional book chapter\’s been officially submitted, \”Immersive Media and Branding: How being a brand will change and expand in the age of true immersion\” (could still be changed) for all those curious. It is about virtual and augmented reality, and what it will mean for brands.

Among other things, I talk a lot about how artificial intelligence and how it will inform digital avatars, which are fully fleshed out 3D interactive brand ambassadors. Fascinating thing to think about; literally fleshing out what your brand is, and what that will mean for interacting with consumers.

A shout out to the Cortney Harding of Friends with Holograms, Samantha Wolfe of We are Phase 2, Alejandro Mainetto of EY, Alan Smithson of XR Ignite Community Hub and Virtual Accelerator and Robert Spierenburg of All Things Media for their contributions! And to Jacki Morie of All These Worlds LLC for both accepting my proposal for inclusion, and being very kind for putting up with my questions throughout. She is very patient.

It still need to go though peer review, but should be in the January publication of the tentatively titled,\”Global Impacts and Roles of Immersive Media.\”

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