SXSW: An immersive experience is the future of AI
The recent teaser advert from OpenAI founder Sam Altman and Jony Ive, co-designer of the iPhone, iPod, Apple Watch and AirPods, was among the areas of discussion at South by South West (SXSW) in London.
The YouTube video, which begins in a coffee shop, has Altman speaking about the limitations of ChatGPT, caused by how it is accessed. “If I wanted to ask ChatGPT something, I would get on my laptop, open it up, launch a web browser,” he says. “I’d start typing and I’d have to explain that thing and I would hit enter, I would wait, then I would get a response.”
Altman believes artificial intelligence (AI) deserves something much better.
Last month, OpenAI acquired LoveFrom, the company co-founded by Ive, for $6.4bn, to drive the development of new technology that integrates AI. “I am absolutely certain that we are literally on the brink of a new generation of technology that can make us our better selves,” said Ive.
While it remains unclear what the pair have in mind in terms of the hardware for AI, during an SXSW panel discussion, Megan Wastell, global creative director at Merlin Entertainment noted that as the hardware gets better and the user interface changes, there are opportunities to deliver a more seamless storytelling experience.
“I’m intrigued by the announcement on what Johnny Ive is working with OpenAI on to create some kind of AI, which [Ive and Altman] said quite clearly is not a headsets,” she said. “It’s not something that goes in front of your eyes.”
Wastell asked the audience to consider a user experience where interfaces and hardware are less important compared with what people are used to.
For now, she sees opportunities to use headsets in company meetings, to give executives a three-dimensional experience of a new theme park ride under development. By taking advantage of advanced computer technology, Wastell said: “We can show higher-fidelity versions of something that we’re imagining, earlier on in the [development] process.”
This, she said, avoids misunderstandings further down the process as the final product is delivered. The company has used 3D creation tool Unreal Engine to build models that help stakeholders understand what the team building a new experience is trying to achieve.
In November 2024, Merlin Entertainment announced Adventures Made Real, a global strategic partnership with Mojang Studios, the creator of Minecraft. The collaboration aims to bring Minecraft adventures to life in the real world through immersive and interactive entertainment attractions.
Such tie-ups link the real world with the world inside computer games. But, as Wastell said, there are practical considerations when visitors to an attraction need to wear a virtual reality or augmented reality headset. There are operational considerations: the size and weight, and the need to clean them after every use.
“We have got to clean the headsets and we’ve got to get them onto the next people; it’s a challenge,” she said. “One of my fantasies is that we would stand around the border [of an attraction] and see hologram action in front of us.”
Shared experiences
The panel, which included Philip Watson, vice-president of emerging technology strategy at Time Warner, explored the emergence of immersive experiences that go beyond augmented and virtual reality.
Watson spoke about the 2022 ground-breaking experience from Damon Albarn’s virtual band, Gorillaz, which used New York’s Times Square and Piccadilly Circus in London as backdrops for immersive fan experiences. “Being able to look through your phone and see them [Gorillaz] playing live sitting on top of Times Square, I think that’s like breaking the illusion of reality. It is a really special thing to see.”
One of the most interesting points of discussion to arise from the panel’s conversation is the idea that in today’s digital world, content is very much a personal experience, accessed via a personal device like a tablet or smartphone. But the creative industry is calling for shared experiences, which is something the tech industry has yet to address successfully.
“Music is so beautiful and a shared experience,” said Watson. “Sometimes we lose that when we use headsets on our phones.”
But he acknowledged that online technology is very good at connecting people around the world.
“What I’m really excited about seeing over the next several years is actually the ability to have a shared experience in an arena together,” said Watson.
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