PERSPECTIVE
► Virtual reality is imperfect and will stay so for a long time.
Current VR headsets still have shortcomings. This is normal and part of the evolution of the technology. The latest virtual reality wave started rolling about ten years ago, but despite rapid technological advances, VR headsets still feel like they’re in the early stages of their development history. Read it here.
► How Japan and South Korea rely on the metaverse for education.
Educational institutions in South Korea and Japan are experimenting with VR applications and incorporating the metaverse into lessons. Read it here.
► Expanding the applications of VR training for mental health awareness and wellness at work.
XR technologies have emerged as powerful tools for addressing mental health concerns and fostering a supportive workplace environment. Read it here.
INTERVIEW
► Sam Altman says a trial-and-error approach to AI could unlock new opportunities for humanity.
Altman, CEO of OpenAI, believes that trial-and-error and careful observation of how users interact with the technology will be key to finding the right balance between AI and humans. Read it here.
RESEARCH & THEORY
► Taking modern psychiatry into the metaverse: Integrating augmented, virtual, and mixed reality technologies into psychiatric care.
The metaverse poses many exciting new possibilities for Psychiatry 3.0. But moving any psychiatric care into the metaverse raises a number of ethical and safety challenges that ought to be addressed. As society takes this step forward, this research urges all responsible parties (such as educators, doctors, patients, lawmakers, software/hardware developers, and corporate entities) to remain cautious and conscientious to ensure that the metaverse is a safe, accessible, just, and equitable environment for all its users. Read it here
NEWS
► Google unveils latest AI-powered tools.
Google has introduced several new AI-powered tools, such as Bard, SGE, PaLM2, and more at its annual I/O conference. Features have also been unveiled, including Search Generative Experience (SGE), Immersive View for Maps, and the “Magic Editor” in Google Photos. The new version of Google Search, SGE, utilises generative AI to provide more personalised responses to open-ended search queries. Bard, another large language model released two months ago, has received updates and new features, including the ability to include images alongside text in prompts and coding upgrades. Read it here.
► Meta Shares Study on the Economic Potential of the Metaverse.
The study discusses the potential economic benefits of the metaverse. American businesses are already using the metaverse to create new revenue streams and enhance their existing ones. Meanwhile the Middle East is heavily investing in the metaverse to become global technology hubs. Asia Pacific leads the world in the adoption and development of metaverse technologies. Read it here and here.
► Türkiye officially launches its first metaverse office.
"I am very happy to share with you that our Communications Directorate is the first public institution in the meta-universe in terms of leading these new generation technologies," said Fahrettin Altun, Turkish Presidency’s Communications Director, at the launch ceremony. Read it here.
► Prompt engineering is becoming a popular subfield in AI.
Along with natural language processing, researchers and developers benefit from prompt engineering skills to achieve impressive results from large language models (LLMs). Prompt engineering involves understanding and working with the underlying create specific types of input to yield targeted output. The Prompt Engineering Guide is a comprehensive online resource built to teach and support anyone looking to develop or sharpen their prompt engineering skills. Read it here.
► Jumping in VR is getting better.
Pedro Lopes, an Assistant Professor in Computer Science at the University of Chicago wants to make jumping in VR a more enjoyable experience. Lopes and his team created a mechanical backpack called JumpMod that can help enhance the sensation of falling and jumping in the virtual world by moving your weight up and down through simulating forces on your body. Read it here.
