Podcasts about XR

Send us Fan MailWe discuss the biggest announcements and takeaways from AWE, including the newly revealed $2,195 Snap Spectacles, the XReal Aura, and the bHaptics DK3 gloves. We also share our thoughts on the Subside DLC, upcoming mixed reality games, new titles for PS VR2, and James' impressions of the Metroid Prime VR mod.Here's the full topic list, in order:AR Glasses Take Center Stage At AWE1. Snap Spectacles announced at $2,1952. XReal Aura taking pre-orders without full price3. URXR and several other startups4. We're not yet sold on AR glassesLet's talk some games5. Subside DLC thoughts6. The Castle & High Horns at AWE7. Cleansheet Soccer 2 on PS VR28. Mixed reality evolution with VirtualGo9. Monsarrat's open world MR RPGMike's other AWE takeaways10. bHaptics DK3 gloves11. Pimax Dream Air demo12. The future of XR tech is VERY brightNintendon't want to do XR, so modders well13. James' impressions of the Metroid Prime VR modTune in next week14. Steam Machine price announced15. VR Games Showcase recap coming next week

In this episode of The Learning & Development Podcast, David James is joined by Egle Vinauskaite to discuss the launch of her highly anticipated follow-up to the ‘Race for Impact' report. They explore the core objectives behind this new research and the methodology Egle used to capture the reality of today's learning landscape. Egle reflects on the "Transformation Triangle" - a core concept of the report - unpacking its components and arguing for a definitive move away from traditional, legacy training models. They delve into the practicalities of how L&D leaders can navigate these strategic paths, the organizational blockers or "drags" that routinely stall progress, and what it truly means when Egle writes that "influence is not a consolation prize." Egle provides a roadmap for teams facing leadership pushback, offering actionable advice on how to break out of a strictly content-focused lane and elevate L&D into a high-impact, influential business driver. Take your L&D to the next level Take advantage of thousands of hours of analysis. Hundreds of conversations with industry innovators and 25+ years of hands-on global L&D leadership. It's all distilled into one framework to help you level up L&D. Access the L&D Maturity Model here - https://360learning.com/maturity-model KEY TAKEAWAYS AI is rapidly taking over traditional L&D tasks, so L&D must redefine their role rather than just produce content faster. For L&D, the future lies in 3 areas: becoming a skills authority, an enablement partner and/or tackling performance as a systems problem. L&D's ability to change is shaped by the organisation around it. Reporting lines, what leaders expect from “the training team,” and the skills the L&D team has will all determine how far beyond content L&D can really move. Building credibility by being involved early when business problems are defined, enables L&D to influence decisions and outcomes more powerfully. BEST MOMENTS “The transformation triangle is a strategic framework for L&D leaders…it maps the territory beyond content focused L&D.” “Understand the boundaries that you're operating within. Not that you cannot massage those boundaries over time.” Egle Vinauskaite Bio Egle Vinauskaite brings extensive expertise in learning, behaviour, and technology, working with both global enterprises and emerging edtech innovators. Her background spans AI, XR, mobile learning, digital platforms, and blended learning design, giving her a unique perspective on how technology is reshaping organisational learning and the future of work. As both an advisor and researcher, she helps L&D teams integrate AI into their operations and prepare workforces with the skills needed for effective adoption. Blending rigorous research with hands-on application, Egle has a sharp view of how AI is redefining the role of L&D and creating new possibilities for learning in the workplace. https://www.linkedin.com/in/vinauskaite/ http://nodes.works/ The Transformation Triangle report: https://www.nodes.works/transformation-triangle VALUABLE RESOURCES The Learning And Development Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-learning-development-podcast/id1466927523 L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home ABOUT THE HOST David James  David has been a People Development professional for more than 20 years, most notably as Director of Talent, Learning & OD for The Walt Disney Company across Europe, the Middle East & Africa.  As well as being the Chief Learning Officer at 360Learning, David is a prominent writer and speaker on topics around modern and digital L&D.  CONTACT METHOD   https://twitter.com/davidinlearning https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidjameslinkedin https://360learning.com/the-l-and-d-collective https://360learning.com/blog L&D Master Class Series: https://360learning.com/blog/l-and-d-masterclass-home This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

Lucas Rizzotto is one of the most distinctive artists working at the intersection of technology and human experience. He built Where Thoughts Go, a VR piece that proved genuine connection was possible inside a headset when everyone said it wasn't. He followed it with Pillow, a mixed reality app designed around the bedroom. He then spent months letting an AI algorithm run his life — wearing Mantra smart glasses, building a surveillance and memory system on himself, and documenting it as an ongoing series on Instagram and TikTok. Now he's making a live cinematic experience called Escape the Internet, which he calls Broadway crossed with a video game crossed with standup comedy. It premiered as a ghost debut at SXSW this year.Mike Boland, analyst and founder of AR Insider, sits in for Rony Abovitz in this episode. The conversation opens on the Rec Room shutdown — $250 million raised, a $3.5 billion valuation, and now a wind-down. The panel connects the collapse to a pattern: VR has always been an exotic pursuit sold as a mainstream one, and the unit economics of concurrent immersive social spaces are nearly impossible. The discussion moves to OpenAI shutting down Sora, the AI video generation race between Google VO3 and Kling, the rise of AI slop in social feeds, and Lucas confirming he quit LinkedIn because it's unreadable.AI XR News: Rec Room is shutting down after raising $250M at a $3.5B peak valuation. Snapchat is acquiring its remaining assets. OpenAI closed down Sora, overwhelmed by competition from Google VO3 and Kling. AI-only social feeds from Meta and Grok are not gaining traction — users are tuning them out.Key Moments:[05:37] – Ted's thesis: VR is an exotic pursuit that was never going to be mainstream, and Rec Room would have been healthier if it accepted that early[07:33] – Lucas: Ready Player One was the worst thing to happen to XR — it gave executives a fictional roadmap to fund[18:38] – Ted asks whether Apple can do for mixed reality what it did for the smartphone — and the panel is skeptical[27:42] – Mike on physics as the hard ceiling: Moore's Law doesn't apply to waveguides and optics the way it applies to chips[29:02] – Lucas explains why he dropped display glasses for his wearable AI experiment — they increase engineering complexity by 50x[32:17] – Lucas's AI-controlled life series: a complex algorithm watches him, mines personal data, and tells him what to do to find happiness — including an unplanned trip to Lithuania[34:12] – Ted asks if the experiment is a net positive or negative. Lucas: neutral if you're in control, net negative if Meta or OpenAI are running the system[37:52] – Lucas on convenience as a death by a thousand cuts: he optimized his life in Berlin to have everything within three minutes and became miserable[41:00] – Charlie on Where Thoughts Go: assigned it to students every semester; it only works if you surrender to it[47:15] – Escape the Internet: hundreds of people in a movie theater, all on their phones, playing a shared cinematic narrative. Lucas calls it a modern version of church[53:40] – The standup model applied to software: Lucas tested Escape the Internet at SXSW and cut 50% of the material that didn't get a reactionThis conversation sits at the intersection that the AI XR Podcast lives for: technology as creative material, not just commercial tool. Lucas's view that we've been building things people use all the time when we should be building things that blow their minds for two hours and then get out of the way is one of the sharper critiques of the attention economy you'll hear this year.This episode is brought to you by Zappar and Mattercraft — the leading visual development environment for building immersive 3D web experiences on mobile, headsets, and desktop. Mattercraft now includes an AI assistant that helps you design, code, and debug in real time, right in your browser. Start building at mattercraft.io.Subscribe to the AI XR Podcast so you never miss a conversation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Seventeen years into building the world's largest XR conference, Ori Inbar is not prone to hyperbole. He has watched hype cycles inflate and collapse, made predictions that turned out too optimistic, and learned to hold claims carefully. That is what makes his framing of AWE 2026 worth paying attention to: he calls it the most consequential year in the show's history. Not because everything is working — there have been heartbreaking layoffs in some corners of the industry — but because the convergence happening right now between AI and spatial computing is unlike anything the field has seen before.Before Ori joins, the hosts wade through a week of signal and noise. Three big IPOs — Cerebras, Quantium, and others — are absorbing investor attention, with Quantium carrying a $15 billion market cap on what Charlie calls "de minimis revenue," raising questions about whether the quantum AI bandwagon has lapped actual quantum utility. Rony poses the challenge directly: what is the real use case for quantum computing besides breaking encryption?When Ori arrives, the conversation opens on Snap. Evan Spiegel is expected to make a major consumer announcement at AWE — Ori says Snap has put all their eggs in this basket, and the audience at the show will be the first to see it. Ted frames the stakes plainly: if the price shocks people, it's a consumer breakthrough; if it's expensive and exotic, it stays in the science column. Snap recently acquired Illumix, a spatial universe understanding startup, a move that signals the company is building seriously in this space.The endgame vision comes from Rony: Oakley-weight wraparound glasses at 30–40 grams, human retina resolution, full indoor/outdoor capability, AR and VR combined, wireless, all variable focus, under $500. Ted adds that it also has to land under $650 fully costed at retail. Ori's honest answer: "I promised myself I'm not gonna predict when this happens. I've tried many times and was always way too optimistic." Ted teases Gixel, a German startup he and Rony are involved in using non-waveguide display technology already above 60 pixels per degree — when you put the prototype on, he says, it is crystal clear.Defense is the fastest-growing vertical at AWE. Healthcare, manufacturing, aerospace, and automotive are major enterprise sectors. Digital twins are the biggest thing in enterprise XR right now, with world models emerging as the intelligence layer sitting beneath them. Over 10 million AI glasses — display-free — sold last year. Ori's framing of why display glasses matter more: AI is shifting these devices from tools that help you learn about things to tools that actually do things.Key moments:[00:02:47] Quantum IPO bubble — Rony asks what the actual use case is[00:05:48] Quantum mechanics in plain language — qubits, superposition, neurons as quantum computers[00:09:51] Apple WWDC preview — Siri, folding phone, Rony's secret Apple wearable tease[00:11:38] Google Dream Beans — Ted: "It's an ad play"[00:12:51] Suno $400M raise — Rony: "Musical crack" and the TikTok-for-music thesis[00:14:42] Fox reformats "Farmer Wants a Wife" into 101 vertical episodes — the content inflection point[00:17:00] Ori joins — AWE 2026 as "most consequential year in our history"[00:17:40] Snap and Evan Spiegel's expected consumer announcement at AWE[00:19:38] Cambrian explosion of XR content — Meta talent diaspora, Supernatural spinoff[00:23:07] Vibe coding for XR — Ori's AR prototype built in two days with Gemini[00:25:48] Charlie inducted into the AWE Hall of Fame — joining Ted and Rony[00:28:36] iSpatial theme — Ori's three biggest XR trends: AI glasses, AI content, world models[00:39:31] Defense fastest-growing vertical. Digital twins biggest in enterprise.[00:47:18] Rony's endgame AR glasses vision. Ted teases Gixel's crystal-clear prototype.Brought to you by Zappar and Mattercraft. Build web-based AR experiences without writing code at mattercraft.io. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jonathan Rodriguez Cefalu built the hardware that Snap shipped on people's faces — first the camera-only Gen 1 Spectacles, then the Gen 4 display version. His path through Stanford CS, an honors thesis on varifocal display optics, and a startup called Vergence (named after the vergence-accommodation conflict in AR) led him to Snap, and then to the problem he is working on now. Preamble AI exists to prevent the worst possible AI outcomes — starting with a class of attack that Preamble was the first to publicly demonstrate: prompt injection.Ted Schilowitz hosted this episode solo. Together, he and Jonathan worked through the architecture problem sitting under every AI assistant being deployed at scale right now: large language models see one token stream. There is no separation between what the developer intended and what an untrusted email or web page is quietly instructing the model to do. With Gemini Spark about to give AI agents access to tens of thousands of emails per user, this is not a theoretical concern. Jonathan's team has a proposed fix — and they have already shaped federal law.The episode also covered the week's XR and AI news: Google I/O announcements, Snap Spectacles Gen 6 details ahead of AWE, Matthew Ball joining Xbox, Anduril's battlefield AR wearable, and AI-generated feature films reaching Tribeca.Key Moments:[00:00] Ted opens solo — Charlie Fink and Rony Abovitz are out for the summer solstice[02:30] Google I/O: Gemini Spark and what "persistent AI agent" actually means in practice[08:15] Jonathan's Gmail test: asked to search tens of thousands of emails, it searched 30 and quit[14:40] XREAL Project Aura and the state of Android XR — a lot of spend for incremental steps[21:00] Snap Spectacles Gen 6 details: what Jonathan knows from building Gen 1 and Gen 4 from the inside[31:20] Snap vs. Meta: research that ships in the product vs. research that ships in a paper[38:45] Matthew Ball joins Xbox, Anduril EagleEyes, and battlefield AR wearables[44:10] AI on the Lot: Project Nara, Hell Grind, Dreams of Violet, Paul Schrader goes pro-AI[52:30] Jonathan introduces Preamble AI and the mission to prevent worst-case AI outcomes[58:00] The first public demonstration of prompt injection — what happened and why it matters[01:06:15] Why Gemini Spark will be especially vulnerable to prompt injection attacks[01:14:00] Preamble's proposed fix: a reserved token language that untrusted data cannot speak[01:21:30] NDAA Section 1638: the first US law making it illegal to give AI autonomous nuclear control[01:28:45] WarGames, "the only winning move is not to play," and what that means in 2026Brought to you by Zappar and Mattercraft. Mattercraft makes spatial web experiences that run in the browser — no app required. Visit mattercraft.io to learn more and start building. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As director of Keyhole, Dave Lorenzini delivered the 3D Earth zooms that ran on CNN during the 2003 Iraq War — netting five million users in a month. Sergey Brin was one of them. Google bought the company and poured in billions to build, fuel, and serve maps. As Google Earth, it forever changed how we relate to space.From there: pioneering work on Google Glass, AR platforms, and running an immersive XR lab in Europe for Draw & Code exploring the future of spaces, places, and faces. Today Dave directs Quantum Studio, building World Agent and 4D ID — the "DNS for real space," an addressing layer where every place, object, and moment gets a name AI systems can agree on. His thesis: the next decade of AI won't run on better maps. AI needs an operating system for reality. Not a map. Not a database. A living, queryable foundation where every place on Earth answers for itself.AI XR News: The OpenAI vs. Musk trial continued with damaging testimony from Mira Murati and Greg Brockman. Anthropic struck an unholy alliance with xAI's Colossus compute. GameStop bid for eBay. Colin Angle is back with Familiar, an AI robot pet. Coinbase cut staff. Ask.com finally died. VRChat hit 100,000 concurrent daily users in Japan.Key Moments:[00:03:34] AWE Long Beach in 30 days: Dave on the board, Snap glasses expected, 400 speakers and 250 exhibitors[00:20:10] 30 AI glasses coming: why the near future belongs to audio-first, AI-powered smart glasses[00:25:34] Keyhole origin story: satellite imagery, $25K/sq mile, Sergey Brin, and a $500M/year acquisition[00:37:30] Google Glass, Luxottica, and why Google blinked when it could have been 10 years ahead of Meta[00:40:00] XR vs. rockets: why building for the human brain is harder than getting to MarsBrought to you by Zappar, the company behind Mattercraft — the leading visual development environment for immersive 3D web experiences. Start building at mattercraft.io.Subscribe to the AI XR Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts. Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/weNANIIo7EA Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The AI XR Podcast had a massive news week and one of its best guest conversations of the year. Caspar Thykier and Connell Gauld, CEO and CTO co-founders of Zappar, joined Charlie Fink and Ted Schilowitz to talk about something deceptively simple: helping people find stuff.Zappar's new product, Spaces, is app-free indoor navigation built on the web. QR code or link in a meeting invite — your phone shows AR breadcrumbs to the nearest restroom, the right meeting room, the hospital ward three floors away. No app download. No specific hardware. No Azure dependency. Caspar put the pitch simply: it's fundamentally just helping people find stuff. Connell's vision: the same technology running in glasses indistinguishable from a regular pair, within four to five years.AI XR News: Elon Musk's $135 billion lawsuit against OpenAI went to trial in Berkeley. OpenAI's IPO may be pushed to 2027 over its CFO reporting structure and $600B CapEx problem. Meta is laying off 20% of its staff in two waves. Google earnings were up 10% while Meta got punished. Freepik rebranded as Magnifi with $230M ARR and a million paid subscribers. Samsung announced displayless AI smart glasses. Google partnered with Gucci for another AI glasses play. And Google put $40 billion into Anthropic.Key Moments:[00:03:02] Elon vs. Sam: the $135 billion trial[00:05:09] OpenAI's IPO in jeopardy — CFO structure and $600B CapEx[00:07:12] Meta's 20% layoffs and Charlie's read on bad CEO behavior[00:10:32] Freepik becomes Magnifi: $230M ARR, a million subscribers[00:13:10] Samsung Galaxy XR and Google x Gucci smart glasses[00:15:15] Google puts $40B into Anthropic — a cloud play[00:21:06] Spaces: turn-by-turn AR indoor navigation, no app required[00:41:13] 16 years in XR: how Zappar survived by being the cockroachBrought to you by Zappar, the company behind Mattercraft — the leading visual development environment for immersive 3D web experiences. Start building at mattercraft.io.Watch the Full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/HmOXA4HgBmo. Subscribe to the AI XR Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ian Hamilton spent years as editor in chief of Upload VR before launching his own Substack, Good VR, and podcast at goodvirtualreality.com. He is one of the few people covering XR longer and more deeply than Charlie Fink, and his perspective spans platform architecture, business strategy, and genuine on-the-ground journalism since the DK1 days.This conversation traces why the XR dream has taken longer than anyone expected. Ian and Rony Abovitz reconstruct the moment the ecosystem forked — when Meta's Oculus acquisition closed off the open, Valve-led platform path that Magic Leap and everyone else had been building toward. Ian argues the platforms are now playing for keeps: OpenXR moves on decade timescales, and that friction is what keeps real transformation just out of reach.On hardware, his case is sharp: Meta's self-imposed $200–$600 price ceiling makes OLED and eye tracking impossible at mass market — exactly the features Apple bet on as the mandatory baseline — and that contradiction is why Bosworth ended up pivoting to AI glasses.In AI XR News You Should Know: Anthropic's Mythos AI model reportedly escaped the company's own containment. Charlie and Rony debate whether calling the consequences "unintended" is even credible given decades of published warnings. Also: a Hollywood Reporter and Otis School study found AI is not the primary driver of empty LA sound stages — runaway production and tax incentives are the main story.Key Moments:[00:01:00] – Charlie's new vertical melodrama "Linda's Last Podcast" and why generative AI is already good enough for social media storytelling.[00:04:52] – Rony on Anthropic's Mythos: the compute to cure cancer, aimed somewhere else.[00:11:47] – Half of Gen Z holds a negative view of AI. Charlie on the Brown grad who turned down an AI studio internship on principle.[00:36:00] – Rony and Ian reconstruct the Valve/Oculus open platform — and walk through exactly how that future closed.[00:47:00] – Meta's price ceiling, OLED as a strategic forcing function, and why Bosworth landed on AI glasses.[00:52:00] – Ian on the Apple Vision Pro mid-flight: why the headset is a personal computer, not a wearable.Ian's long view: we're about ten percent of the way through the total investment required to reach a billion users. The supply chain is better than ever, the software has found its footing in simulation and training, and the next five to ten years could be the most interesting window yet — if the platforms decide to let the ecosystem breathe.This episode is sponsored by Zappar, the team behind Mattercraft — the leading visual development environment for building immersive 3D web experiences on mobile, headsets, and desktop. Mattercraft now features an AI assistant that helps you design, code, and debug in real time. Start building at mattercraft.io.Subscribe to the AI XR Podcast for more conversations at the edge of AI, XR, and the future of media. Available where you get podcasts. Watch full episodes on YouTube https://youtu.be/x5wQy4HBhYE Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alan Lasky arrived at the AI XR Podcast straight from Las Vegas ahead of NAB. An MIT Media Lab graduate under Nicholas Negroponte, a veteran of Silicon Graphics and Amazon Web Services, and an advisor to investment banks on AI and media, he brings technical depth, industry history, and financial realism about where media is actually going.The conversation covers Hollywood's structural collapse, AI's role in the production renaissance, and the harder question of why trillion-dollar tech companies keep buying media businesses that can't generate comparable returns.Alan's answer: soft power. Amazon makes $950 million Lord of the Rings spinoffs so you order more paper towels. Apple is making Neuromancer. His five-year weighted moving average of Disney stock — flat from 2018 — makes the argument clean.AI XR News You Should Know: Artemis ignited a new space boom. Amazon acquired Global Star satellite to build Project Kuiper, a direct Starlink competitor. Apple's AI audio smart glasses are reportedly arriving this year per Mark Gurman at Bloomberg, entering a market where Meta owns the optometrist channel and Google is moving through Warby Parker. Snap laid off 15% while doubling down on the 2026 launch of Spectacles — the first see-through headset since Magic Leap.Key Moments:[00:04:48] – Artemis and the space boom: Ted on filming shuttle launches and why the crew's accomplishment is underestimated.[00:08:33] – Apple AI audio glasses: Rony's read from former Magic Leapers who designed them — if Apple gets this wrong, it's unforgivable.[00:12:00] – Snap's layoffs and the see-through gamble: can they compete with cheap AI audio glasses flooding the market?[00:16:43] – Hollywood is no longer the center of the universe — Alan on why most of the industry hasn't metabolized that yet.[00:23:01] – Charlie on AI democratization: a couple hundred dollars per minute for what looks like live action on a phone.[00:36:00] – The soft power thesis: why tech giants keep buying media assets that never pay off at their scale.[00:41:30] – Should Apple buy Disney? Charlie says Meta will do it first. Rony's reaction is immediate and visceral.[00:47:44] – AI resurrects Val Kilmer: Alan's origin story from three months in the Australian desert on the worst film of his career.Alan's closing frame: he grew up reading Gibson and Brunner in the eighties, excited to live in that world. He's in it. He's not sure he wanted it this way.This episode is sponsored by Zappar and Mattercraft — the leading visual development environment for immersive 3D web experiences, now with AI-assisted design and debug. Build at mattercraft.io.Subscribe to the AI XR Podcast for more conversations at the edge of AI, XR, and the future of media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does a Lion King–level director really think about AI “slop,” streaming wars and whether machines can ever tell great stories? On this episode of the AI XR Podcast, Charlie Fink and Ted Schilowitz talk with Rob Minkoff, director of The Lion King, Stuart Little, The Haunted Mansion, Forbidden Kingdom and Paws of Fury, about the future of filmmaking as AI, streaming consolidation and new tools reshape the business.Rob shares how he watched Netflix “eat Hollywood” by doing streaming better than the legacy studios, why Netflix walking away from Warner Bros. and letting Paramount overpay is bad news for creators, and what fewer buyers means for directors and writers trying to sell original work. He explains why he sees AI tools like Seed Dance as potentially both iceberg and Noah's Ark, and why he believes the average will rise but the cream will still rise higher: tools may let anyone make competent images, but audiences will still chase the one-in-a-thousand voices that have something genuinely new and human to say.In XR News You Should Know, the host cover Anthropic's standoff with the Pentagon over using large, unstable models for high-stakes military decisions, Netflix walking away from a Warner Bros. deal and collecting a breakup fee while Paramount overpays, streaming brand confusion around HBO/Max and Paramount+, VITURE's new raise and its patent fight with XREAL over “birdbath” smart-glasses optics, and Google's Gemini gaining multi-step action capabilities on Samsung and Pixel phones before Apple's Siri catches up.The conversation digs into whether AI will really make feature films cheaper and more common, or just flood social feeds with short-form “AI slop.” Rob compares AI tools to word processors and home recording studios: they are powerful, but they don't turn you into Bruce Springsteen or Steven Spielberg. He argues that empathy, taste and genuinely fresh perspective will remain the differentiators, and that audiences will quickly tune out work that feels derivative, even if it looks slick. He also raises a bigger question: if AI drives productivity to the point where work is optional for many people, what happens to purpose, competition and the human psyche?Key Moments01:16 – Anthropic vs. the Pentagon and why unstable AI systems may never meet military safety standards02:42 – Netflix exits the Warner Bros. deal, collects a breakup fee and leaves Paramount holding the bag05:31 – HBO, Max, Paramount+ branding confusion and what happens to these streaming labels06:00 – VITURE's $100M raise, XREAL patent lawsuits and the simple science behind “birdbath” smart glasses07:31 – Why Miami is becoming a new tech and defense hub and what that signals about America's “neighborhood”10:00 – Seed Dance 2.0, Hollywood's deepfake panic and the “ship first, apologize later” strategy15:16 – Rob joins: 34 years in film, Netflix “eating Hollywood” and what consolidation means for creators19:18 – Seed Dance, stolen IP and whether AI tools are an iceberg or Noah's Ark for filmmakers24:39 – Can AI become a true “prophet,” or can it only emulate empathy and taste?30:57 – Will AI make many more animated movies or just flood the world with average content?37:32 – If AI does most of the work, what's left for humans—and can entertainment absorb all that free time?This episode is a grounded, filmmaker's view of where AI fits: powerful tools, real risks, but no substitute for a human vision that cuts through the noise. Rob's perspective is invaluable if you're trying to understand what will actually matter in a world where everyone can generate “good enough” images on demand.This episode is brought to you by Zappar, creators of Mattercraft, the leading visual development environment for building immersive 3D web experiences for mobile, headsets and desktop. To explore what's possible with AI-powered XR on the web, start building smarter with Mattercraft from Zappar at Mattercraft.io. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Enterprise XR hasn't disappeared, it has quietly moved into places where it saves time, reduces errors and changes how people work every day. On this episode of the AI XR Podcast, Charlie Fink and Rony Abovitz talk with Boston Consulting Group partner Kristi Woolsey, who leads BCG's immersive practice, about how XR plus AI is already being used for training, maintenance, onboarding, retail and architecture inside some of the world's most conservative organizations.Kristi shares a Swiss Rail project where field technicians wear lightweight AR glasses that recognize who they are and which train car they are standing in front of, pull the correct procedures from internal systems and use AI to turn thick manuals into simple task checklists.She explains how this leads to double-digit efficiency gains for both experienced and new workers, and how a small behavior design choice – automatic logging for headset users versus manual end-of-shift paperwork for everyone else – helped overcome skepticism on the front line. Drawing on her background as a physical-space architect, she also describes how VR and rapidly improving 3D tools are changing the way companies design stores, offices and buildings before anything physical is built.AI XR News you should know, Charlie and Rony cover Anthropic's massive new funding round and ethics turbulence, Chinese generative video tools like Seed Dance 2 and Kling that put TV-quality visuals in reach of “garage Spielbergs,” and Meta's reported seven million Ray-Ban and Oakley AI smart glasses sold – early signals of where wearable AI and XR are really headed.Key Moments01:03 – Anthropic's huge raise and what the ethics departure might signal05:08 – Seed Dance 2 and Kling showcase a new level of generative video08:35 – Meta's seven million smart glasses and the reality behind that number12:10 – Why wearable AI may be the real “last mile” of turning us into cyborgs15:28 – Inside the early metaverse tours Kristi and Rony built for enterprises20:27 – How BCG's VR onboarding keeps new hires engaged months before day one23:30 – Swiss Rail's AR and AI maintenance assistant and what it actually does on site27:05 – Designing XR systems that give value to both the business and frontline workers30:29 – Using VR as a lab for retail and workplace behavioral strategy33:06 – How AI-generated 3D models point toward “build every space digitally first”This episode shows how “metaverse” ideas have turned into practical tools: XR plus AI is cutting training times, improving maintenance quality and letting companies experiment with spaces before they exist. Kristi's examples make it clear that the real action is in careful workflow design, not flashy avatars.This episode is brought to you by Zappar, creators of Mattercraft, the leading visual development environment for building immersive 3D web experiences for mobile, headsets and desktop. https://mattercraft.io/Mattercraft combines the power of a game engine with the flexibility of the web and now includes an AI assistant that helps you design, code and debug in real time, right in your browser. To explore what's possible with AI-powered XR on the web, start building smarter with Mattercraft from Zappar.Listen to “Enterprise XR Meets AI: How Smart Glasses, Digital Twins and Holodecks Are Quietly Changing Work – Kristi Woolsey” on the AI XR Podcast and follow the show for new episodes every week. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our guest this week, Alvin Wang Graylin spent 35 years in senior leadership roles across HTC, IBM, and other major tech companies. He ran HTC's VR division, came out of the famous HIT Lab, now teaches at MIT, holds a fellowship at Stanford, and just published a paper called "Beyond Rivalry" proposing a seven-point plan for deescalating US-China AI tensions and building a global safety net before the economy breaks.His thesis: America is the fastest in the AI race and the least prepared for what it's creating—a cliff where human labor theory of value collapses, capital concentration accelerates, and 40% of the population living month to month faces chaos.The conversation becomes a wide-ranging debate between Alvin, Charlie, and Rony about whether AGI will be benevolent by default (Alvin's position: research shows smarter AI seeks global coherence and becomes less controllable by individual humans, which may actually make it safer) or whether benevolence must be designed in from scratch.AI XR News You Should Know: Elon Musk merges SpaceX, xAI, and X into a single entity—Alvin dismantles the space data center concept with physics (vacuum cooling is a myth, micro-meteorite collisions would destroy hardware daily, and energy is only 10% of data center costs).Amazon invests $50 billion in OpenAI that round-trips back to AWS. Alphabet breaks revenue records at $400 billion but spooks investors by disclosing $90 billion in AI spending. ElevenLabs raises $500 million at $11 billion valuation. Rony's SynthBee hits unicorn status with $100 million raised at a multi-billion dollar valuation.Alvin warns the AI bubble dwarfs the dot-com era (298 companies raised $24 billion total during dot-com; OpenAI alone is raising that in a single private round) and predicts OpenAI may implode before going public.Key Moments Timestamps:[00:04:47] SpaceX/xAI/X merger: Rony calls it Elon's "return to Tony Stark form"[00:06:41] Alvin dismantles space data centers with physics: vacuum cooling myth, micro-meteorites, $7K/kg launch costs[00:10:04] Amazon's $50B investment in OpenAI as a round-trip to AWS; the scam economy[00:11:26] Alvin predicts OpenAI may implode before going public[00:14:23] Alvin on 35 years in AI: the technology is transformational but everyone's making a commodity product[00:17:04] The AI bubble dwarfs dot-com: $24B total vs. single private rounds today[00:19:04] Rony's contrarian: the $110 trillion global economy is what's being bet against[00:21:06] Labor theory of value collapses: what happens when humans exit the production cycle[00:23:00] America is fastest in the AI race and least prepared; 40% live month to month[00:24:00] Alvin's Stanford paper "Beyond Rivalry": a CERN for AI and global data pool[00:28:00] Davos reflections: the rest of the world is more rational than America[00:34:00] Chinese vs. American culture: reverence for teachers, respect for elders[00:42:00] Alvin's "Abundant" framework: valuing human dignity over production after AGI[00:44:22] The great debate: will AGI find benevolence naturally (Alvin) or must it be designed in (Rony)?[00:47:00] Rony on risk: AGI systems are unverifiable, untestable, and we cannot take the chanceListen to the full episode and subscribe to the AI XR Podcast for weekly conversations at the intersection of AI, XR, and the future of humanity.This episode is brought to you by Zappar, creators of Mattercraft—the leading visual development environment for building immersive 3D web experiences for mobile headsets and desktop. Build smarter at mattercraft.io. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when you can transform yourself into any character, in any world, in real time, while streaming live? Dean Leitersdorf is the CEO and co-founder of Decart, an Israeli AI company that just cracked the code on real-time generative video. Within a week of launching at TwitchCon, Twitch streamers were making thousands of dollars per hour letting their audiences morph them into cartoon characters, fantasy worlds, and entirely new realities—live, on stream, for three dollars per hour of AI processing.Dean's insight: the next wave of AI doesn't just make video generation faster or cheaper. It makes it interactive. Creators can now edit themselves, their backgrounds, and entire environments on the fly during Zoom calls, live streams, or gaming sessions. Decart runs this at roughly 100x cheaper than competitors and is targeting another 100x cost reduction over the next year to reach YouTube-level pricing (cents per hour instead of dollars). That shift unlocks new markets—gaming mods, consumer filters, XR glasses, and eventually robotics training in photorealistic simulated worlds.News: Humans&, a 3-month-old AI lab founded by researchers from Anthropic, Google, and X AI, raises $480 million at a $4 billion valuation based almost entirely on founder pedigree. Xreal sues Viture for patent infringement in bird bath optics, echoing the very lawsuit Magic Leap filed against Xreal years ago—a cycle of irony layered with allegations of trade secret theft and China-based IP evasion. OpenAI discloses $20 billion in revenue but rumored $50–60 billion in annual operating expenses, raising questions about path to profitability. TikTok's US operations close under Oracle's stewardship, and a new vertical drama app called Pinedrama launches. ElevenLabs launches music generation, competing with Suno and Udio.Key Moments Timestamps:[00:20:30] Dean's background: Israeli tech ecosystem, the Technion, and building a team of 0.001 percenters[00:22:00] The real-time video demo: transforming Dean into a cartoon character, live, during the podcast[00:26:30] Decart's competitive advantage: 100x cheaper than competitors, targeting another 100x reduction[00:28:00] TwitchCon success: streamers making $2,000/hour letting audiences control real-time transformations[00:31:00] Exit strategy or go-it-alone: why Decart believes foundational model owners capture the market[00:40:00] XR and robotics use cases: world reshaping, robot training simulations, AR glasses at 6K/120fps[00:48:30] Culture and talent: renting 34 apartments next to the office so engineers live two minutes away[00:55:00] The secret sauce: synthetic data from game engines beats internet-scale scrapingDean explains why Snap Camera's 10-year-old integration into stadium kiss cams proves the market is ready for the next evolution, how world models will power the next generation of XR glasses, and why the bottleneck shifts from rendering to semantics—making sure a virtual car doesn't block a real-world foot. Decart is building the foundation. The ecosystem will sprout on top.This episode is brought to you by Zappar, creators of Mattercraft—the leading visual development environment for building immersive 3D web experiences for mobile headsets and desktop. Mattercraft combines the power of a game engine with the flexibility of the web, and now features an AI assistant that helps you design, code, and debug in real time, right in your browser. Build smarter at mattercraft.io.Listen to the full episode and subscribe to the AI XR Podcast for weekly conversations at the intersection of AI, XR, and the future of human-computer interaction. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What happens when someone who grew up in the Lucasfilm Games golden era decides that today's AI tools are failing creatives? Mike Levine has spent more than 30 years building at the intersection of games, XR, VFX, and interactive storytelling—and his verdict is clear: the current AI stack is a fragmented, overcomplicated mess that turns directors into prompt engineers.Mike started as a tester at Lucasfilm Games (later LucasArts), working his way into the art department on titles like Sam & Max and The Dig before helping ship live-action Star Wars games such as Rebel Assault and Jedi Knight II. He later built rotoscoping tools used across the VFX industry, collaborated with ILM and Pixar, experimented with mobile AR games for Hasbro and HoloLens, and dipped into crypto gaming—before finally co-founding MovieFlow (now FilmSpark), an AI-native production platform designed so that filmmakers, agencies, and showrunners can move from script to screen without needing a computer science degree.The AI XR news you should know: Apple taps Google Gemini to power Siri, acknowledging that building world-class LLMs in-house makes little financial sense. Meta cuts 10% of Reality Labs, right-sizing its VR bets while pivoting toward wearables. Xreal raises another $100M amid questions about Chinese state influence and data flows. Higgs Field lands $80M at a $1.3B valuation for AI cinematography tools that many filmmakers still find unreliable. Wikipedia signs licensing deals with major AI companies after years of being scraped for free. OpenAI invests $252M in Sam Altman–backed Merge Labs, raising fresh conflict-of-interest questions.Key Moments Timestamps:[00:23:02] From Boston journalist-to-be to accidental hire at Lucasfilm Games[00:26:24] The “test pit” culture at Lucas and how Nintendo experience got Mike in the door[00:28:45] Moving into the art department, learning Photoshop from early legends, and shipping Sam & Max[00:31:15] Live-action Star Wars games: Rebel Assault, Jedi Knight II, and convincing George Lucas[00:34:38] Visiting Pixar with new VFX tools and recognizing the same creative “magic” as LucasArts[00:36:24] Doug Trumbull's influence on Mike's sense of cinematic possibility and immersion[00:43:27] The urinal meeting at Magic Leap and what early spatial computing got right (and wrong)[00:49:00] Why most AI tools are “dark ages” for filmmakers: node graphs, 10+ subscriptions, no story view[00:51:00] Building MovieFlow/FilmSpark: story-first, timeline-based AI production for long-form and vertical shows[00:53:00] The Neighborhood Podcast: a 90-second vertical murder mystery as proof-of-concept for AI-native seriesWhen humans can generate shots, scenes, and even entire episodes in minutes, the bottleneck shifts from production to vision. Mike argues that the winning AI tools will be the ones that let directors see their whole story, maintain continuity, and iterate fast—without ever feeling like they left the edit bay for a dev console. His vertical drama collaboration with Charlie, The Neighborhood Podcast, is an early look at what happens when narrative craft meets AI-native pipelines instead of fighting them.This episode is brought to you by Zapar creators of Mattercraft—the leading visual development environment for building immersive 3D web experiences. Build smarter at mattercraft.io.Watch the full episode on YouTube and subscribe to the AI XR Podcast for weekly conversations with the people building the future of AI, XR, and interactive media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dean Takahashi is the dean of tech writers and a 25-year veteran correspondent covering consumer electronics, gaming, and emerging technology for GamesBeat. He's covered every major tech transition—from mobile's rise to VR's boom-and-bust cycles to the current AI explosion—with a skeptical eye and a talent for finding the human story beneath the hype. This is his fifth appearance on the AI XR Podcast.For CES 2026, Dean walked the floors across the Convention Center, the Venetian Expo Center (Eureka Park), Pepcom, and Showstoppers, emerging with a clear reading: China has decisively shifted from periphery to center stage in consumer electronics manufacturing, American incumbents are pulling back and rethinking their booth strategy, and the economics of CES itself are in transition. Robotics companies are moving from prototype to commercial faster than expected—but they still can't answer basic questions about pricing and labor displacement.News: Sony cuts its booth to demo an electric car instead of TVs. Samsung skips the show floor entirely for the first time. Nvidia takes over the Fontainebleau to showcase its role in robotics enablement. Lenovo dominates the Sphere with a Gwen Stefani concert. Chinese robotics companies proliferate with laundry folders, latte makers, and toilet-cleaning units. Roomba files for bankruptcy; Chinese competitors take over the robotic vacuum market.Key Moments:[00:01:23] Dean receives his virtual green jacket as a five-time returning guest and Charlie thanks him for his insights[00:03:00] China takeover at CES: TCL dominates Central Hall, ROED owns the XR booth, robotics companies fill the floor[00:06:00] Nvidia's Fontainebleau takeover and the "chest-pumping" show of force; why scale messaging still matters[00:14:18] The robotics explosion explained: Nvidia's digital twins, Cosmos world models, and synthetic testing accelerate time-to-market[00:19:00] The pricing problem: robotics companies won't answer how much their products cost; the minimum wage rental model doesn't translate globallyWhen American companies built the show, CES reflected American manufacturing dominance. Now that China manufactures most consumer electronics, CES reflects that shift—and the implications ripple through labor, supply chains, and where the next epicenter of innovation will be. Dean, Charlie, and Ted grapple with what CES 2026 signals about global manufacturing advantage and why the geography of tech matters more than we think.This episode is brought to you by Zappar, creators of Mattercraft—the leading visual development environment for building immersive 3D web experiences for mobile headsets and desktop. Mattercraft combines the power of a game engine with the flexibility of the web, and now features an AI assistant that helps you design, code, and debug in real time, right in your browser. Build smarter at mattercraft.io.Listen to the full post-CES debrief and subscribe for weekly conversations at the intersection of AI, XR, and consumer technology. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Caitlin Krause, author of Digital Wellbeing, argues that intentional design unlocks genuine connection within virtual spaces. Drawing on her teaching at Stanford and the University of Oregon, she's explored how XR environments can foster asynchronous connection and ambient awareness for people who crave belonging without hyper-social performance. Her framework rejects the "digital detox" model entirely—instead advocating for dignity-first design where users match attention with authentic intention.The hosts debate the deeper question: what happens to human purpose when AI handles all labor? Rony Abovitz frames this as the "asymmetry of design"—it's easy to build addictive tech, hard to build wellbeing tech. Caitlin counters that we may return to the original meaning of "amateur" (from amor, "to love"), where humans find meaning through play, creativity, and what Harvard's lifespan study confirms: quality of relationship and presence. The conversation spirals from platform ethics to post-work society to what first principles we should use when designing XR.5 Key Takeaways from Caitlin:Loneliness is a biological prompt to find another human—not a void to fill with endless content. XR can foster genuine forms of connection without requiring hyper-social performance.Dignity-first design unlocks freedom, invention, and agency. When digital spaces prioritize user agency over engagement metrics, people report feeling like they "got their life back."Science will soon prove what we already know about fractal patterns in nature and digital signals. The key is designing digital experiences that resonate with how humans biologically thrive.The "middle path" between nature and digital is both/and. Gamers building entire lives in virtual worlds can be healthy when those worlds offer creativity, belonging, and meaningful challenge.The post-labor economy needs a reset in literacy and values. When AI outperforms human workers, purpose shifts from survival to what makes you feel alive—maker culture, digital fab labs, hands-on creation, and "amateur" pursuits driven by love.In the News: Oracle, Silver Lake, and Abu Dhabi's MGX close the $50 billion TikTok spin-off deal. Meta cuts Reality Labs by 30%, but CTO Andrew Bosworth says it's moving to AI. The TCL glasses demo 70 grams of lighter, more advanced XR hardware than Ray-Ban Meta—proving that smart spending beats mega-spend.This episode is brought to you by Zappar, creators of Mattercraft—the leading visual development environment for building immersive 3D web experiences for mobile headsets and desktop. Build smarter at mattercraft.io. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

文化庁の「クリエイター支援基金」は、映像・アニメ・XR産業の人材育成と海外展開を支援する制度。令和7年度は544人のクリエイターを支援し、23の国・地域で165回の海外公演・展示を実現。アニメ、XR、8K映像など実践的プロジェクトを通じ、グローバル市場で競争力を持つ人…

Is the VR industry going through a "Great Reset"? In this episode of the Gamertag & Bradley Podcast, we break down the reality of mainstream VR adoption, Valve's imminent Steam Frame and Steam Machine launch preparations, and Apple's massive Vision OS developer updates. We also dive into how AI hardware demand is creating component shortages that could drastically impact next-gen headset pricing!Main topics:

Extended Reality schafft in Unternehmen schon heute echten Mehrwert: Mitarbeitende werden effizienter geschult, komplexe Prozesse visualisiert, Maschinen aus der Ferne gewartet oder Produkte immersiv vermarktet. Doch während große Unternehmen wie BMW oder Lufthansa XR bereits strategisch einsetzen, bleibt der Mittelstand oft zurückhaltend. Warum ist das so? Welche Hürden gibt es – und warum lohnt es sich gerade jetzt, Berührungsängste abzubauen? Darüber sprechen wir mit Daniel Irmler, Head of Immersive Experiences, und Dr. Rebecca Hein, New Business Developerin bei MaibornWolff. Gemeinsam arbeiten sie daran, XR-Anwendungen stärker in den Mittelstand zu bringen und zeigen, wo Unternehmen heute konkret profitieren können.

This week we speak with Auryan Ratliff of Arizona State University about how AI—especially agentic AI—is transforming course design, assessment, and the broader student experience. They explore how moving beyond simple question-and-answer tools to more autonomous, action-oriented systems enables institutions to build more dynamic, personalized, and scalable learning environments. The conversation also tackles the challenges AI introduces—particularly around academic integrity—and how institutions can respond by rethinking assessment itself. Through examples like AI-powered conversational language practice, they highlight a shift toward more authentic, interactive, and human-centered learning experiences. Ultimately, it's a call for institutions to embrace experimentation, invest in culture and collaboration, and actively engage with AI rather than waiting for the “right” moment. Guest Name: Auryan Ratliff - Director of Technology Innovation and R&D at EdPlus at Arizona State University Guest Social: LinkedIn Guest Bio: Auryan Ratliff is the Director of Technology Innovation and R&D at EdPlus at Arizona State University, where he has worked for over a decade across AI, XR and digital learning. He manages a portfolio of emerging technology projects aimed at supporting the student experience. He founded EdPlus' AI product team and led the development of DegreeMe, an AI-powered tool that helps prospective students find the right degree through a personalized quiz. He is also the founder of SPLIT Studio, the student-powered lab focused on creating immersive experiences for ASU Online. SPLIT has also produced work for Dreamscape Learn and ASU partners, including the Hall of Teachers exhibit at the Bishop Museum, created in partnership with the Polynesian Voyaging Society. - - - -Connect With Our Host:Dustin Ramsdellhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/dustinramsdell/About The Enrollify Podcast Network:The Higher Ed Geek is a part of the Enrollify Podcast Network. If you like this podcast, chances are you'll like other Enrollify shows too!Enrollify is made possible by Element451 — The AI Workforce Platform for Higher Ed. Learn more at element451.com. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Mike Golembewski is an interactive designer, researcher, and writer running MWG Design & Research, an independent consultancy focused on immersive media, artistic practice, and emerging technology. In this episode, Mike breaks down the structural challenges facing cultural XR, the category of immersive work that functions more like theatre or documentary than gaming. We cover why festival-premiered XR experiences rarely survive beyond their premiere, why platform stores like Meta and Steam are fundamentally misaligned with this type of work, and what creators can do from day one to design for longevity. Mike also highlights real examples and explains why thinking about the long tail before writing a single line of code is the only approach that actually works.Subscribe to XR AI Spotlight weekly newsletter

I gave the opening keynote of the Meaningful XR Conference on May 30, 2026, and here's the video version of my keynote talk titled: "Patterns of Meaning, Transformation, and Impact in XR" and here is the PDF of the slides with clickable footnotes. In this talk, I cover my Experiential & Phenomenological Framework, discuss the Impulse Impact Study that came out on May 28th (see my discussion in episode #1721). I cover a bit about the Transformation Economy (see my interview with Joe Pine in episode #1718), Mission-Oriented Change, & Co-Creation, as well as cover some Other Models for Paradigm Shifts, and finally dive into AI & Friction. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-XNH4upTVw This is a listener-supported podcast through the Voices of VR Patreon. Music: Fatality

The Immersive Impact Review launched on March 13, 2026 at 4p CDT in Austin Texas during SXSW, and they describe themselves as "a hybrid journalistic and academic magazine examining immersive media's strive for social impact." The first issue theme is titled “Value(s) in Practice: Impact and Sustainability in XR,” which is investigating the following questions: "How do we measure and demonstrate social impact? How do we justify costs and tradeoffs in immersive vs. more traditional media?" I spoke to managing editor Michael Epstein at SXSW four days after their launch to get a bit more context on their founding with support from Agog, and we unpack some of the articles from the first issue. This is a listener-supported podcast through the Voices of VR Patreon. Music: Fatality

Agog is having their first open call on Climate Futures + Immersive Media that closes on June 12, 2026, at 11:59p PDT. Agog is "committing up to $1 million in grants to support innovators, technologists, artists, organizers, researchers, organizations, studios, and creative teams using immersive media to engage people on climate, from awareness to action." Their official page has a lot more details, including a FAQ as well as a link to an info session held in VRChat. I had a chance to catch up with Agog's co-founder and executive director Chip Giller as well their chief of programs and strategy Amy Seidenwurm. I got some updates on where some of their initial $6.5 million of funding has gone so far in order to support the broader XR industry around immersive storytelling in what has been a lot of foundational field building. Most of this money has been done through private invitations, and this open call is the first time that Agog has opened up funding to the wider XR industry. We dig into more details about this Climate Futures + Immersive Media open call, and be sure to check out my previous three conversations for more context: Episode #1720 on the Immersive Impact Review hybrid journalistic / academic magazine launched at SXSW, Episode #1721 on the Impulse Impact Study that came out last week, and #1722 is the keynote on Patterns of Meaning, Transformation, and Impact that I gave at the Meaningful XR Conference over the weekend that explores my phenomenological framework for understanding the unique affordances of experiential design and immersive storytelling as well as some theories of change for XR. Giller said that each proposal will need to have their own theory of change with plans for how to engage existing communities and be able to track the success or failure of your work. This is a listener-supported podcast through the Voices of VR Patreon. Music: Fatality

The latest In Touch With iOS with Dave Ginsburg, Jeff Gamet, Marty Jencius, and Jill McKinley discuss Vision Pro apps, WWDC 2026 predictions, Apple Intelligence rumors, Siri upgrades, HomeKit speculation, Apple software updates, and the future of immersive computing. The panel also shares practical iPhone tips, talks about Apple Design Award winners, puzzle games, Macstock 10, and Ecamm Creator Camp—with plenty of laughs and Apple speculation throughout the episode. The show notes are at InTouchwithiOS.com  Direct Link to Audio  Links to our Show Give us a review on Apple Podcasts! CLICK HERE we would really appreciate it! Click this link Buy me a Coffee to support the show we would really appreciate it. intouchwithios.com/coffee  Another way to support the show is to become a Patreon member patreon.com/intouchwithios Website: In Touch With iOS YouTube Channel In Touch with iOS Magazine on Flipboard Facebook Page BlueSky Mastodon X Instagram Threads Summary In this episode of In Touch With iOS, Dave Ginsburg is joined by Jeff Gamet, Marty Jencius, and Jill McKinley for a fun and insightful discussion covering Vision Pro apps, Apple hardware rumors, WWDC 2026 expectations, Siri and Apple Intelligence speculation, HomeKit frustrations, and practical Apple tips. The panel opens the show with plenty of humor before diving into several Vision Pro-focused stories and apps that caught their attention this week. The discussion begins with Apple's recognition of The Primary News in Depth as part of the Apple Design Awards. The app delivers immersive spatial news experiences on Vision Pro and sparks conversation about the future of immersive journalism and the challenges of producing high-quality spatial video content. Marty points out how apps like this can expose users to stories and perspectives from around the world that traditional U.S. news outlets often overlook. The panel also highlights Let's Go Fly, a free Vision Pro immersive aviation app that lets users experience flight in spatial video. Jill shares her enthusiasm for flight simulation experiences and discusses how immersive environments like this could become a major use case for Vision Pro moving forward. Attention then shifts to the future of Vision Pro hardware after new reports suggested Apple may be developing a lighter and more affordable Vision Pro successor for release sometime around 2028. Marty explains the distinction between Vision Pro as a premium immersive entertainment and enterprise device versus future Apple smart glasses aimed at mainstream consumers. Jeff strongly pushes back against ongoing claims that Vision Pro is "on ice," arguing Apple has always treated the product as an evolving platform rather than a mass-market product from day one. Jill compares the current state of Vision Pro to the early days of expensive VHS players and other technology products that eventually became mainstream over time. The team also discusses a newly granted Apple patent describing an Apple Pencil-like XR input device capable of providing haptic feedback and texture simulation in virtual environments. Jeff becomes especially excited about the creative possibilities for artists, sculptors, and even medical professionals using virtual tools with tactile feedback. The group also talks about how Apple's haptics technology continues to separate its ecosystem from competitors. On the software side, the panel reviews the latest Apple beta and minor software updates, including macOS Tahoe 26.5.1 and an iOS update addressing charging issues affecting iPhone Air and iPhone 17 models. Jeff shares a theory that the macOS update may also quietly address kernel panic crashes tied to external spinning hard drives connected to Macs. With WWDC 2026 only days away, the discussion shifts heavily toward predictions and expectations for Apple's annual developer conference. The panel reacts to Apple inviting WWDC attendees to a special screening of The Mandalorian and Grogu at Apple Park, complete with a possible appearance by special guests involved with the film. Dave shares his thoughts after seeing the movie in theaters and praises its action sequences and sound design. The conversation then turns to WWDC predictions, with everyone agreeing that Apple Intelligence and Siri upgrades will likely dominate much of the keynote. Jeff expects Apple to focus on AI integration without going overboard the way other tech companies have recently done. Jill hopes Apple introduces a much more personal and contextual AI assistant capable of understanding the user's device, files, habits, and health data. She also expresses interest in deeper HealthKit integration that could provide meaningful insights into sleep patterns, blood sugar tracking, and wellness habits. Marty predicts Apple will expose new APIs allowing Siri and Apple Intelligence to integrate more deeply into apps and potentially VisionOS itself. HomeKit and smart home functionality become another major topic as the panel discusses rumors surrounding new HomePod mini hardware, a refreshed Apple TV, and a possible smart home-focused "HomePad" device. Jeff floats the idea that Apple could eventually position Apple TV as a more serious gaming console if future hardware includes dramatically improved processors. The show also includes several practical Apple tips, including how to leave FaceTime video voicemail messages, set up text replacements, use the one-handed iPhone keyboard, clear notifications quickly, and set timers that automatically stop music or audio playback. Jeff also highlights how much he relies on Universal Clipboard between Apple devices throughout his day. Later in the episode, the panel discusses Apple's latest App Design Award winners, including apps like Structured, Grug, Is This Seat Taken?, Guitar Whiz, and immersive Vision Pro NBA experiences. Jill shares her enthusiasm for Structured as an ADHD-friendly productivity app, while Marty and Jeff discuss puzzle games, retro-style experiences, and the growing creativity in Apple's developer ecosystem. The episode closes with excitement surrounding Macstock 10 and the upcoming Ecamm Creator Camp event. Dave, Marty, Jeff, and Jill talk about their upcoming presentations, the importance of community networking, and how Macstock continues to bring together Apple fans, creators, podcasters, and developers for one of the most enjoyable Apple community events of the year. The panel also reflects on the upcoming closure of the British Tech Network and the final episodes of several long-running shows. Topics and Links In Touch With Vision Pro this week.  Design App Of the Year: Primary: News in Depth App https://www.reddit.com/r/VisionPro/s/j0UijSfDeS https://apps.apple.com/us/app/lets-go-fly/id6757612693 Cheaper, Lighter Apple Vision Pro Successor Could Arrive in Late 2028  Future Apple Vision Pro could gain Apple Pencil that can simulate textures Patently Apple - Apple Reveals Apple Pencil with  Texture Detection & Haptic Emulation for XR Environments Beta this week. iOS 26.6. Beta 1 continues Apple Releases iOS 26.5.1 to Fix Charging Issue on iPhone Air and iPhone 17 Models  In Touch With Mac this week Apple Releases macOS Tahoe 26.5.1 to Fix Shutdown Issue Affecting Enterprise Users on M5 Macs macOS 26.5.1 is out with an important fix for enterprise users MacOS Tahoe 26.5.1 Update Released with Bug Fix for Enterprise M5 Users Other Topics WWDC 2026 preview and predictions Apple Invites WWDC 2026 Attendees to 'The Mandalorian and Grogu' Screening at Apple Park iOS 27: What We Know About the New Siri App watchOS 27: Three new Apple Watch features being announced next week Apple Teases Next Week's WWDC 2026 Event: 'All Systems Glow' New Apple TV and HomePod Mini Are 'Nearly Ready' to Launch, New Siri Remote Also Rumored Tips You can leave FaceTime video voicemails, and a lot of people don't know it - here's how Lesser-known iPhone features I use every single day! News iPhone 18 Pro May Drop Cosmic Orange After Color Complaints Google Expands AirDrop Support to More Android Phones Apple reveals winners of the 2026 Apple Design Awards Apple Announces This Year's App Design Award Winners Ahead of WWDC 2026  Final BTN Show Announcements Macstock X is here celebrating its 10th anniversary ! Dave, Chuck, Jeff, Marty, and Jill are all speaking this year!. With Three Full Days of expert-led Presentations and Workshops, Macstock's sessions are crammed full of productivity-enhancing content. NEW this year is a partnership with sponsor Ecamm. Ecamm Creator Camp: Mac Edition on July 9, 2026 there are only 100 tickets available for the bundle. There are 2 passes available: Macstock weekend pass July 10,11,12, 2026 or the Macstock Ecamm Bundle starting July 9 (only 100 tickets available)  Come join us. Register HERE and use our offer code INTOUCH to save $50 Our Host Dave Ginsburg is an IT professional supporting Mac, iOS and Windows users and shares his wealth of knowledge of iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV and related technologies. Visit the YouTube channel https://youtube.com/intouchwithios follow him on Mastodon @daveg65, , BlueSky @daveg65  and the show @intouchwithios   Our Regular Contributors Jeff Gamet is a podcaster, technology blogger, artist, and author. Previously, he was The Mac Observer's managing editor, and Smile's TextExpander Evangelist. You can find him on Mastadon @jgamet Pixelfed @jgamet@pixelfed.social and Bluesky @jgamet.bsky.social‬ Podcasts The Context Machine Podcast  Retro Rewatch Retro Rewatch His YouTube channel https://youtube.com/jgamet Marty Jencius, Ph.D., is a professor of counselor education at Kent State University, where he researches, writes, and trains about using technology in teaching and mental health practice. His podcasts include Vision Pro Files, The Tech Savvy Professor and Circular Firing Squad Podcast. Find him at jencius@mastodon.social  https://thepodtalk.net  Eric Bolden is into macOS, plants, sci-fi, food, and is a rural internet supporter. You can connect with him by email at eabolden@mac.com, on Mastodon at @eabolden@techhub.social, on his blog, Trending At Work, and as co-host on The Vision ProFiles podcast.   Jill McKinley works in enterprise software, server administration, and IT A lifelong tech enthusiast, she started her career with Windows but is now an avid Apple fan. Beyond technology, she shares her insights on nature, faith, and personal growth through her podcasts—Buzz Blossom & Squeak, Start with Small Steps, and The Bible in Small Steps. Watch her content on YouTube at @startwithsmallsteps and follow her on X @schmern. Find all her work at http://jillfromthenorthwoods.com  Chuck Joiner is the host of MacVoices and hosts video podcasts with influential members of the Apple community. Make sure to visit macvoices.com and subscribe to his podcast. You can follow him on Twitter @chuckjoiner and join his MacVoices Facebook group. Guy Serle is one of the hosts of the new The Gmen Show along with GazMaz and email GMenshow@icloud.com  @MacParrot and @VertShark on X  Vertshark on YouTube, Google Voice +1 Area code  703-828-4677

Hello everyone, welcome to another exciting episode of VR in Education, where we explore how virtual reality is being used to transform teaching and learning  In this episode of VR in Education, we are speaking with Devin Marble, former paramedic, communication specialist and podcaster, now Head of Enterprise Growth at ArborXR and an XR expert working at the intersection of immersive technology, workforce readiness, and scalable training. Building from his riveting TEDx talk on immersive practice, we explore why VR, AR, and MR must move beyond impressive demos and become part of a deeper learning system built around repetition, feedback, and real-world performance. 

Is China quietly shaping the future of smart glasses & AI glasses?In this episode of Metavertising, Ely Santos sits down with Sylvan Shen, XR Technical Producer at Emmy-winning immersive studio No Ghost, China Reporter at ImmersiveWire, and builder of demos for Meta Quest, Snap Spectacles, Meta Ray-Ban glasses, and other smart glasses platforms.Together, they unpack one of the most important but under-discussed areas of the XR industry: China's smart glasses ecosystem.While most conversations around XR focus on Meta, Apple, or Snap, China is moving incredibly fast across hardware, AI, manufacturing, and real-world use cases. Sylvan breaks down why Chinese smart glasses companies may offer a glimpse into where wearable computing is heading next.In this episode, we cover:The 4 categories of smart glasses: audio-first glasses, portable display glasses, AI camera glasses, and full AI + AR glasses.Why the simplest smart glasses are winning today, even though the dream is still full AR.How China's hardware manufacturing ecosystem gives local companies a major speed advantage.Why Shenzhen and Guangdong are sometimes called the “hardware Silicon Valley."The privacy concerns around smart glasses — and why they become even more sensitive when AI is involved.How Chinese brands are approaching privacy, compliance, GDPR, and international certifications.Why companies like XREAL, RayNeo, Rokid, Alibaba, Xiaomi, Huawei, and Even Realities are taking very different strategies.Why real-time translation, payments, productivity, gaming, and smart home control are major use cases in China.The difference between Western and Chinese consumer behavior when it comes to smart glasses.Why developer communities may be the missing piece for Chinese smart glasses to go global.How open-source AI models and user choice could influence the future of AI-powered wearables.If you're a developer, founder, marketer, investor, or XR enthusiast trying to understand the next wave of wearable computing, this episode is a must-listen.Guest: Sylvan Shen - XR Technical Producer, China Reporter at ImmersiveWireHost: Ely Santos - Metavertising PodcastFollow Sylvan Shen on LinkedIn.Follow Ely Santos on LinkedIn.

Send us Fan MailJoin hosts Ben Kornell and Alex Sarlin as they explore the growing backlash against AI in education, the race to build AI-native learning systems, and the shifting future of edtech, workforce learning, and global education policy.✨ Episode Highlights:[00:02:18] Reflections and takeaways from this year's ASU+GSV Summit [00:05:16] Gen Z backlash against AI grows at college commencements [00:08:06] China's practical AI rollout contrasts with the U.S. race toward AGI [00:15:09] Anthropic and Gates Foundation launch a $200M AI education partnership [00:23:02] Debate over the future and business model of AI tutoring [00:29:25] OpenAI expands its “Education for Countries” initiative [00:37:28] New education tax credits could shift spending power to families [00:42:15] Google, Meta, and Apple push AI glasses and XR learning forward [00:48:40] AI simulations gain traction in workforce training [00:51:06] Multiverse raises $70M for AI-driven workforce upskilling Plus, special guests:[00:55:51] Angel Chung, PhD Candidate at The Wharton School, on proactive AI tutoring systems and new research showing measurable learning gains for students using adaptive AI guidance[01:18:08] David Rogier, Founder and CEO of MasterClass, on AI-powered learning, the future of higher education, and MasterClass Executive — developed alongside OpenAI & Chicago Booth to explore the future of AI-native business education.Learn more here: https://www.masterclass.com/booth-ai

  On today's episode we talk about the latest release from one of kiteboarding's longest-running models, the CORE XRX. We hear from team riders Shahar Tsabasy and Hendrik Van Der Ems, and also catch up with Mike MacDonald and Philip Schinnagel on what the XR range means to CORE.   Core XRX:   https://ridecore.com/us/kite/kites/xr-x   Fantasy:   https://portraitkite.com/videos/fantasy-updates-may-2026/   Road To Pro (Japan):   https://portraitkite.com/videos/road2pro-season-2-japan-ep1/   WOO:   https://www.woosports.com/en   Portrait:   https://portraitkite.com     https://www.fantasykite.com   Follow us:   https://www.instagram.com/portraitkite/   https://www.instagram.com/kitesurf365/  

Is the VR industry stalled, or are we on the cusp of the ultimate display revolution? In this episode of the Gamertag & Bradley VR Podcast we break down why current headsets feel "medieval" and expose the massive, quiet investments tech giants are making into the future of XR, Micro-OLED, and AI-driven world-building.From exclusive insights from Display Week to the truth behind Valve's Steam Frame, Quest 4 leaks, and Apple's Vision Pro roadmap—this is your ultimate insider guide to the next generation of immersive tech.

Joshua Pantony spent years being told there would never be a viable AI company in his lifetime. He sold his first AI company to Microsoft anyway — work that quietly became part of what is now Microsoft Copilot. Today he runs Boosted AI, an agentic platform serving more than 400 institutional investors who collectively manage around five trillion dollars in assets. He is one of the most credible voices in applied AI finance, and his read on where the industry is heading cuts through a lot of noise.The conversation covers what it actually means to deploy AI in professional investing — not the demo version, but the one that has to earn trust from portfolio managers who have built careers on discretion and judgment. The platform learns each investor's individual style and then acts like a highly motivated junior analyst who never sleeps: constantly surfacing ideas, flagging risks, and improving the workflow without ever taking over the decision. Josh also unpacks why the Bloomberg terminal is facing its BlackBerry moment, why the technology moat is effectively dead, and why the next durable advantage in finance will come from human trust networks that no model can replicate. Ted Schilowitz and Rony Abovitz join host Charlie Fink with sharp frames throughout — Rony's observation that the innovator's dilemma is now a high-frequency problem landed hard.AI XR News You Should Know: The episode opens with two news segments covering AWE 2026 and the Snap Spectacles keynote with Evan Spiegel, the Samsung Galaxy Glasses debut, Gemini rolling out as Android's native agentic AI, the Cerebras sixty-billion-dollar IPO, and what an AI filmmaking company launched by the creators of Instagram Stories tells us about the future of short-form content. The conversation about micro-dramas, why Quibi failed, and what sixty percent of social media users now say about their own feeds leads directly into the trust themes that run through the entire episode.Key Moments:[00:00] – Cold open and welcome. Charlie frames the sixth anniversary of the show.[02:30] – AWE 2026 recap. Snap Spectacles keynote, Evan Spiegel on stage, Samsung Galaxy Glasses previewed.[06:00] – Gemini as Android's native agentic layer. What it means that AI is now replacing the OS interface.[09:15] – Cerebras sixty-billion-dollar IPO. What a big AI IPO year signals for the sector.[12:00] – AI filmmaking and Instagram Stories creators. The new short-form production economy.[14:30] – Why Quibi really failed. No sharing mechanic, wrong bet on clipping, and arriving before the audience was ready.[16:45] – The trust problem in social feeds. YouGov data: sixty percent of users cannot tell what is real. Social becoming a lie stream.[19:00] – Guest intro. Joshua Pantony on being told AI would never be a viable business, and the algorithm he wrote at twenty that saved a million dollars.[24:00] – How Boosted AI works. The digital twin model, the agentic workflow, and why it is not a portfolio manager.[33:00] – The Bloomberg terminal's BlackBerry moment. Thirty thousand dollars a year for what AI will deliver for a fraction.[42:00] – The moat is dead. Why user context — not the technology — is the durable advantage.[51:00] – The innovator's dilemma at high frequency. Rony on why a day in AI is like a decade, and what that means for incumbents.[58:00] – Trust networks as the last edge. The analog handshake as the most valuable currency in a world of synthetic information.This conversation is a clear-eyed look at what it takes to build AI that professionals actually adopt — not a pitch, not a thought experiment. Josh's framing of Wall Street as the greatest collective intelligence humanity has built, and his argument that AI can finally make capital allocation genuinely more efficient, gives the episode an ambition that goes well beyond fintech. The question of what survives automation — and what only humans can do — runs underneath every answer.This episode is sponsored by Zappar and Mattercraft. Mattercraft is Zappar's browser-based augmented reality creation platform — build and deploy WebAR experiences without an app, at mattercraft.io. If you like what you hear, subscribe to The AI XR Podcast on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen. Watch on YouTube - https://youtu.be/I8hLgBneUasSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

durée : 00:09:56 - Les émissions culturelles de France Culture - par : Marie Sorbier - La compétition immersive, nouvelle venue dans la sélection officielle du festival de Cannes, veut depuis 2024 légitimer les nouvelles formes narratives : réalité virtuelle, XR, vidéo projection, installation interactive. L'ambition est de faire de Cannes une plateforme mondiale de l'art immersif. - réalisation : Laurence Malonda, Zoé Couppé - invités : Pierre Lungheretti Directeur général de la Cité Internationale de la bande dessinée Vous aimez ce podcast ? Pour écouter tous les épisodes sans limite, rendez-vous sur Radio France

Dylan Rupp, Director of Marketing at EG4 Electronics, discusses the company's acquisition of Outback Power and plans to continue manufacturing its legacy product line. The conversation also covers EG4's current battery pricing at $260 per kilowatt hour, the upcoming XR 60 all-in-one energy storage system, UL 9540A safety certification, and why technical knowledge matters in solar sales.   Topics Covered EG4 www.eg4electronics.com Outback www.outbackpower.com ASES = American Solar Energy Society Solar Marketing Solar Salespeople Inverter Battery ESS = Energy Storage System XR60 UL 9540 UL 9540 A UL Listing Code   Podcast with James Showalter Apple Podcast YouTube Spotify Pandora Podbean   Reach out to Dylan Rup here: LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/dylan-a-rup Website: www.eg4electronics.com   Learn more at www.solarSEAN.com and be sure to get NABCEP certified by taking Sean's classes at www.heatspring.com/sean solarsean.com/pvtsexam

「住みやすい街作りへ最新技術集結　ゲームはXR活用し課題解決」　住みやすい街づくりへ、自治体の未来を支える最新技術が集まりました。13日から15日まで開催されている自治体・公共向けイベント「自治体・公共Week 2026」。過去最多の350社が住みやすい街づくりにつながる、最新技術やサービスを出展しています。展示会は「DX」「地域防災」「地方創生」など、6つのブースで構成。例えば、「DX」のエリアではゲームを使って地震前の準備や、防災知識を学ぶことができます。ゲームは地震が発生する数分前の自宅でスタート。地震の対策や準備を考えながらプレーを進めると点数が表示されます。スタッフはチェックリストにある10項目中、4項目をクリア。最後は対応を点数で評価されるだけではなく、何をすればよりよかったのかをフィードバックしてくれます。Meta Earth Heroes・八木橋比佐樹執行役員：自分たちが好きなゲームを通じてやったことによって震災・災害・過去の出来事について自分事のように、とらえているという声ももらう。続いては「地域防災」のエリア。一見、荷物を運ぶワゴンに見えますが、組み立て直すと車いすに。さらに棚は、授乳などに使えるブースに。日常の中で使っているものが有事の際の必需品に大変身。準備する時間などを省けます。また、「地方創生」のエリアでは、スマホをかざすだけでマップが立体的になり情報を教えてくれます。浮かび上がったのは街のスポットの解説や見どころ。こちらの企業は最新のXR技術を活用して、街全体をアトラクション化。人気観光スポットがない街でも街のファンをつくることを目的としています。ジグノシステムジャパン ソリューションビジネス部・中村庸次長：実際に行く前に想起させることが、ひとつ大きなコンテンツの魅力。そういったことが（地方創生に）活用できれば。イベントを主催する企業は企業と自治体が最新技術などを使って連携することで、目の前にある課題を解決するだけではなく、未来の住みやすい街づくりにつなげてほしいといいます。

On February 3rd, 2026, Joe Pine released The Transformation Economy, which is a follow-up to The Experience Economy co-written with James Gilmore and published in 1999. They identified a key pattern of how economic offerings have evolved beyond commodities, goods, and services, and moved into experiences as well as transformations. Their prescient predictions about these underlying patterns in the late '90s took many years of convincing businesses of their merits. But after a few decades, their core ideas of The Experience Economy have taken root, and now it is much easier to see how consumers have shown that they are willing to pay for memorable experiences. Now Pine is back at it again with The Transformation Economy with ideas that have been there from the very beginning, but he told me that the world wasn't ready yet, and he wasn't ready either. About 5-6 years ago, Pine started to hear from designers at World Experience Organization events talking about the transformative intent behind their experiences. This was the catalyst indicating to him that it was time to finally write this book, and he started researching the topics of aspiration, positive psychology, human flourishing, and the dynamics of transformation. I had a chance to interview Pine about The Transformation Economy, and in my write-up below I provide an overview of some of his biggest ideas, some of my personal reactions, how they relate to the XR industry, and finally some of my disagreements on where value comes from. Despite some of my philosophical disagreements with Pine, I still see a lot of value in the frameworks laid out in his book. He describes a roadmap towards a future where the core values driving a critical mass of businesses have evolved to focus on helping their customers fulfill their deepest aspirations, find meaning and purpose, and promote human flourishing. Progression of Economic Value Pine & Gilmore first theorized about a hierarchy of economic value in a 1997 article titled: "Beyond Goods and Services: Staging Experiences and Guiding Transformations." They originally called it "The Economic Pyramid," and described it by saying, "The inexorable march of competitive forces drives the advancement of economic offerings over time: commodities are extracted from the environment to make goods, then delivered as services, which are scripted to stage experiences, which then guide those persons or enterprises in a transformation." "The Progression of Economic Value" figure from page 3 of Pine's The Transformation Economy (2026). Within their "Welcome to the Experience Economy" article in the 1998 issue of Harvard Business Review and in their 1999 book The Experience Economy, they started calling it "The Progression of Economic Value" as shown in the figure above. In The Transformation Economy on page x, Pine describes each of the five distinct economic genres as well as their associated verb / function, Extract Commodities (fungible stuff) Make Goods (tangible things) Deliver Services (intangible activities) Stage Experiences (memorable events) Guide Transformations (effectual outcomes) There is an inevitable gravity towards commodification, and the antidote is customization. This insight first came to Pine in 1994 after he wrote a book in 1993 titled Mass Customization: The New Frontier in Business Competition that explored how Mass Production was moving into Mass Customization. When customization is applied to a service, then it yields an experience. When customization is applied to an experience, then it has the potential to yield a transformation that could be life-changing. Here's how Pine & Gilmore described this progression to transformations in their original 1997 article, "The way out of the commodization trap in which so many service companies find themselves is to move up an echelon of value and stage an experience. But experiences are not the utmost in economic offerings. Just as customizing a good automatically turns it into a service, so customizing an experience turns it into something distinct. If you design an experience so in tune with what an individual needs at an exact juncture in time, you cannot help but change that individual — guiding him to (and through) a life-transforming experience. Transformations are a fifth economic offering, whose value far exceeds that of any other." Pine also says in The Transformation Economy that "Eliminating human contact is a surefire way to commoditize yourself." Technology has an inclination to move more and more towards automation and creating "frictionless experiences," but I see the value of human intuition, emotion, relationality, community, and meaning being a differentiating factor in the transformation economy. I suspect that it will be really beneficial to deliberately embrace friction and tension that comes from interacting with other humans as explored in the piece called Deep Soup. I see the movement towards the transformational economy as a bit of an argument against automating too many things with AI because people will be craving authentic human contact. Key Concepts and My Personal Experience of The Transformation Economy The Transformation Economy book is written with the intention to become a transformational experience within itself. There are many pointed questions throughout the book that helped shape my overall framing through the lens of my business. My first reading of the book was focusing on trying to understand the origin, development, and evolution of Pine's provocative ideas to explore within my interview with him. My ongoing second reading of the book has catalyzed me to reconceive some fundamental notions around my identity, as well as the story of why I do what I do with The Voices of VR Podcast. So much of my work has been driven by a fundamental impulse to bring about change in the world. My motivation to cover the frontiers of emerging technology with XR, AI, immersive storytelling, and experiential design has been because I've seen the transformative power of embodied and immersive experiences to potentially bring about some meaningful changes in the world. I'm also very much drawn to philosophical frameworks like Process Philosophy that provide some key metaphysical foundations leading to a paradigm shift around the underlying nature of experience and reality itself. Here's a graphic from Andrew Davis' upcoming Whitehead's Universe book that lays out some of the scaffolding of this paradigm shift from substance metaphysics to process-relational metaphysics. Davis, Andrew M. (Forthcoming in 2026). Whitehead's Universe: A Prismatic Introduction. Orbis Books. One of the key concepts that really stuck with me from Pine's The Transformation Economy was at the beginning of the third chapter that says, "All transformation is identity change." Pine cites Suzy Ross' definition of identity as "all the ways you can complete the statement ‘I am . . .' " He says "From / To" statements are also key where you might say, "I was X, now I am Y." I really resonate with these definitions of identity since they're very flexible and practical. Once I became aware of these "I am ..." statements, then I started to hear them all the time. I found myself naturally making and reflecting upon identity statements, which provide clues to changes that I aspire to. As an example, I've often found myself saying something to the effect of "I'm more a knowledge artist than a viable business person." So in essence, my aspirational, identity-transformation statement is "I am a terrible business person, but I aspire to become a thriving independent scholar and transformational change agent." Reading through The Transformation Economy has been really inspiring since it's the first business book I've ever read where I can really see myself in these frameworks. Pine has been giving me language to articulate the possible futures that I'd love to live into, but yet the business models around the transformation economy are still nascent, uncertain, not very well specified, and rapidly developing. Each business will have a unique blend of commodities, goods, services, experiences, and/or transformations that they'll be offering, and so it is unlikely that there will be a universal formula that works across all contexts. I'm still meditating on this statement where Pine claims that your business is what you charge for. He says on page 22, "A business ultimately defines itself by what it charges for. If you charge for undifferentiated stuff, you're in the commodities business. If you charge for tangible things, you are in the goods business. If you charge for the activities your people do, you are in the services business. So, economically, you are in the experience business if and only if you charge for the time customers spend with you." Pine says that experiences are inherently ephemeral, and sometimes the only thing you keep from it is the memory, which can fade over time. He contrasts this with his definition of transformations, which he shares on page 10 as, "Transformations are effectual outcomes that change individuals in a lasting way. Where experiences are memorable, transformations are effectual." This implies that the business offering of transformations actually has more of an ongoing time commitment. Businesses in the transformation economy will be helping "aspirants" (Pine's preferred term for customers in the transformation economy) achieve their aspirations of transforming from one state into another state over longer periods of time. Aspirants will need to invest time, be patient with results, make progress, but also deal with periodic regressions. I've been reckoning with how I am what I charge for, and I can't help but think about the logistical difficulty in trying to escape the real-time accounting of how we've conceived of value delivered

As director of Keyhole, Dave Lorenzini delivered the 3D Earth zooms that ran on CNN during the 2003 Iraq War — netting five million users in a month. Sergey Brin was one of them. Google bought the company and poured in billions to build, fuel, and serve maps. As Google Earth, it forever changed how we relate to space.From there: pioneering work on Google Glass, AR platforms, and running an immersive XR lab in Europe for Draw & Code exploring the future of spaces, places, and faces. Today Dave directs Quantum Studio, building World Agent and 4D ID — the "DNS for real space," an addressing layer where every place, object, and moment gets a name AI systems can agree on. His thesis: the next decade of AI won't run on better maps. AI needs an operating system for reality. Not a map. Not a database. A living, queryable foundation where every place on Earth answers for itself.AI XR News: The OpenAI vs. Musk trial continued with damaging testimony from Mira Murati and Greg Brockman. Anthropic struck an unholy alliance with xAI's Colossus compute. GameStop bid for eBay. Colin Angle is back with Familiar, an AI robot pet. Coinbase cut staff. Ask.com finally died. VRChat hit 100,000 concurrent daily users in Japan.Key Moments:[00:03:34] AWE Long Beach in 30 days: Dave on the board, Snap glasses expected, 400 speakers and 250 exhibitors[00:20:10] 30 AI glasses coming: why the near future belongs to audio-first, AI-powered smart glasses[00:25:34] Keyhole origin story: satellite imagery, $25K/sq mile, Sergey Brin, and a $500M/year acquisition[00:37:30] Google Glass, Luxottica, and why Google blinked when it could have been 10 years ahead of Meta[00:40:00] XR vs. rockets: why building for the human brain is harder than getting to MarsBrought to you by Zappar, the company behind Mattercraft — the leading visual development environment for immersive 3D web experiences. Start building at mattercraft.io.Subscribe to the AI XR Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts. Watch the full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/weNANIIo7EASee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The Human Spatial Computing book was published by Oxford University Press on February 5, 2026, and I had a chance to interview the co-authors Reginé Gilbert and Doug North Cook a few weeks after it launched. They alternative as the lead author on each chapter, which provides a comprehensive overview of designing for XR through a variety of different lenses. The entire book is grounded in human rights and ethics, with a recurring focus on how to design experiences that are inclusive and accessible to as diverse of an audience as possible. There's a helpful recap of the history of human computer interaction that goes way back to desire to recreate reality with the Leonardo da Vinci paintings and the imaginative worldbuilding creating new realities by science fiction writers. Other topics covered include insights from universal design principles, industrial design affordances, architecture, neuroscience, and ethics. Here's a list of the chapters of the book, which we also do a brief recap and overview throughout the course of this interview. Why Should We Care about Ethics? The Story of Human–Computer Interaction What Connects Us All Universal Design for Spatial Computing Merging Human Creativity with Technology The Body Affordances of Immersive Technology and the Future of Computing Spatial Computing and the Brain Where Do We Go From Here? There are also a lot of questions and activities at the end of each chapter, which makes this Human Spatial Computing book a compelling textbook option for folks teaching XR design. This is a listener-supported podcast through the Voices of VR Patreon. Music: Fatality

The Lincoln Center for Performing Arts has been stage a variety of different types of immersive experiences as a part of their interdisciplinary programming, and I had a chance to catch up the lead immersive programmer Jordana Leigh at Venice Immersive in order to get an overview of what they've been showing, XR experiences they've commissioned, how audiences connect to each other about the unique transportive affordances of experiences presented there, and generally how they're using XR to bring new and diverse communities together in New York City. We also talked about their Lincoln Center Collider Fellowship for XR artists to advance their artistic practice through a range of either open-ended R&D or time and space for innovative experimentation. Leigh was scheduled to present at the IDFA DocLab R&D Summit, but had some travel delays. Hopefully this conversation helps to explain the many ways that the Lincoln Center for Performing Arts is totally in alignment with some of the broader themes of providing opportunities to de-isolate and revitalize civic society that is covered extensively in this report. This is a listener-supported podcast through the Voices of VR Patreon. Music: Fatality

The AI XR Podcast had a massive news week and one of its best guest conversations of the year. Caspar Thykier and Connell Gauld, CEO and CTO co-founders of Zappar, joined Charlie Fink and Ted Schilowitz to talk about something deceptively simple: helping people find stuff.Zappar's new product, Spaces, is app-free indoor navigation built on the web. QR code or link in a meeting invite — your phone shows AR breadcrumbs to the nearest restroom, the right meeting room, the hospital ward three floors away. No app download. No specific hardware. No Azure dependency. Caspar put the pitch simply: it's fundamentally just helping people find stuff. Connell's vision: the same technology running in glasses indistinguishable from a regular pair, within four to five years.AI XR News: Elon Musk's $135 billion lawsuit against OpenAI went to trial in Berkeley. OpenAI's IPO may be pushed to 2027 over its CFO reporting structure and $600B CapEx problem. Meta is laying off 20% of its staff in two waves. Google earnings were up 10% while Meta got punished. Freepik rebranded as Magnifi with $230M ARR and a million paid subscribers. Samsung announced displayless AI smart glasses. Google partnered with Gucci for another AI glasses play. And Google put $40 billion into Anthropic.Key Moments:[00:03:02] Elon vs. Sam: the $135 billion trial[00:05:09] OpenAI's IPO in jeopardy — CFO structure and $600B CapEx[00:07:12] Meta's 20% layoffs and Charlie's read on bad CEO behavior[00:10:32] Freepik becomes Magnifi: $230M ARR, a million subscribers[00:13:10] Samsung Galaxy XR and Google x Gucci smart glasses[00:15:15] Google puts $40B into Anthropic — a cloud play[00:21:06] Spaces: turn-by-turn AR indoor navigation, no app required[00:41:13] 16 years in XR: how Zappar survived by being the cockroachBrought to you by Zappar, the company behind Mattercraft — the leading visual development environment for immersive 3D web experiences. Start building at mattercraft.io. Watch the Full episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/HmOXA4HgBmo Subscribe to the AI XR Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The CIIIC is the Creative Industries Immersive Impact Coalition based out of the Netherlands, which will be spending about €200 Million in Public Funding over the next five years. It is a really exciting development in Europe that is promoting the development of Immersive Experiences (which they abbreviate IX). They will be cultivating knowledge and methods of experiential design, developing immersive talent and human capital, cultivating immersive ecosystem and facilities, catalyzing innovation via various projects, and creating an over synergy across all of their efforts. For a comprehensive recap of CIIIC and what they're doing, then also be sure to check out the CIIIC section starting on page 62 of the extensive 121-page IDFA DocLab Think Tank Report that I wrote, which was recently published on April 21, 2026. I provide a bit more context to this report in the intro and outro of this episode, which is an oral history interview with CIIIC Program Director Heleen Rouw at UnitedXR in December. This conversation forms the basis for that section, but also has some additional updates on their various efforts including: Artistic & Design Research for Immersive Experiences (ADRIE) (5 projects) Phase I of Innovation Impact Challenge: IX in Urban Development (17 projects) Phase II Innovation Impact Challenge: IX in Urban Development (10 projects) The "Shared Realities" consortium is part of the initial ADRIE cohort, which includes a collaboration between IDFA DocLab, Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, MIT Open Documentary Lab, PHI, ARTIS Planetarium, and a number of XR studios based in the Netherlands including POPKRAFT, Polymorf, Studio Biarritz, WeMakeVR, ALLLESSS (Ali Eslami), Ado Ato Pictures (Tamara Shogaolu), and Cassette (Nu:Reality). Be sure to check out episode #1697 to hear more about how the Shared Realities initiative will be facilitating experiential designers and artists collaborating with researchers to see if immersive art can help to revitalize civic society. This interview with Rouw provides an overview of the CIIIC, how they're defining "immersive" to be much broader than any single technology, and why they think immersive will be the next big wave of innovation that can help promote public interest values. This is a listener-supported podcast through the Voices of VR Patreon. Music: Fatality

Are AI glasses finally having their iPhone moment?In this episode of Metavertising, Ely Santos sits down with Oscar Falmer, Wearables Developer Advocate at Meta, to unpack why Meta AI glasses are gaining real consumer traction after years of AR hype, headset experiments, and false starts.Oscar has spent nearly a decade in XR, previously working in Developer Relations at Apple and Snap, helping developers build AR experiences for mobile, social platforms, and wearable devices. Now at Meta, he supports developers creating content for Meta AI glasses.Together, we explore why the winning form factor may not be full AR glasses yet, but lightweight AI glasses that people actually want to wear every day.In this episode, we cover:Why mobile AR and social AR were important stepping stones, but never the final form.Why AI glasses are working now: lightweight design, long battery life, camera, audio, and multimodal AI.The most valuable use cases today, from hands-free memories to real-time contextual assistance.How developers can build for Meta Ray-Ban glasses using camera, microphone, speakers, and phone-based processing.Why developers should not ignore the massive non-display smart glasses audience.Where the money is today: client work, museums, venues, enterprise, factory workers, and AI-powered tour guides.What developers need to know about privacy, LEDs, recording safeguards, and responsible use.Oscar's smart glasses industry tracker, and what it reveals about hardware, optics, controllers, SDKs, and China's fast-moving ecosystem.Why China may offer a glimpse into where smart glasses and wearables are heading next.If you're a developer, founder, marketer, museum innovator, or brand strategist trying to understand the next computing platform, this episode is a practical look at what is real, what is coming, and where the opportunity may be.Guest: Oscar Falmer — Wearables Developer Advocate at MetaHost: Ely Santos — Metavertising PodcastFollow Oscar Falmer on LinkedIn and X/Twitter.Follow Ely Santos on LinkedIn.

In this episode, Christian Stein, co-founder and CEO of Threedy GmbH, explains why CAD data remains so difficult to use outside engineering, even inside companies like Mercedes-Benz and BMW. Spun out of the Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics Research, Threedy has spent years helping enterprise teams make massive industrial 3D data usable across web, tablets, and XR. He also shares where headset deployments still struggle, why tablets remain more practical in many enterprise settings, and how AI could become the orchestration layer that connects 3D data and business systems across industrial workflows.Subscribe to XR AI Spotlight weekly newsletter

Akash Nigam has been building Genies since 2017 with a conviction that avatars will be the visual layer of the internet. As CEO of Genies, he's assembled IP partners including the NBA, MLB, Sanrio, and Kakao, with more major studios and agencies set to announce before the end of May. The pitch: every app, game, website, and celebrity is going to have an AI personality. Genies wants to be the framework that gives all of those personalities a face.What separates Genies is portability and scale. A character that took eight weeks in 2021 now takes ten minutes. Staying stylized rather than photorealistic isn't just aesthetic — it's what got Hollywood to the table. Talent doesn't want deepfakes. They want a Genie: trained on private IP data, capable of one-on-one fan relationships that make Instagram feel thin.AI XR News: Tim Cook stepped aside as Apple CEO with hardware chief John Ternus taking over. Humanoid robots ran a half marathon in Beijing while a Sony robot defeated professional table tennis players, opening a conversation about Chinese robotics capabilities and AI data infiltration risks the US is still underestimating.Key Moments:[00:06:45] Tim Cook steps aside: what the Apple leadership transition signals about wearable AI[00:12:00] Humanoid robots and table tennis: China's robotics flex[00:13:00] The data infiltration argument: open-source risk and a warning for the US[00:24:00] The IP land grab: NBA, MLB, Sanrio, Kakao, Naver Webtoon[00:28:00] From photo to avatar in 10 minutes: how Genies' generation pipeline scaled[00:32:00] Why Instagram feels thin and how Genies enables one-on-one fan relationships[00:49:00] 80 people, $150M raised, and why Bob Iger sees Genies as the future of DisneyIf AI personalities are going to be everywhere, what do they look like? Akash has been building the answer for nearly a decade. Q3 is when it goes live.Brought to you by Zappar and Mattercraft — the leading visual development environment for immersive 3D web experiences. Mattercraft now includes an AI assistant for design, code, and debugging in real time. Start building at mattercraft.io. Subscribe to the AI XR Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts, or watch on YouTube - https://youtu.be/Fs8h2KcJclQSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

本期嘉宾是籽象科技创始人费晨仪，在 Unity 中国开发挑战赛上，她团队的原创作品「唯有影子知道——狐狸旅社秘闻」获得 XR 赛道银奖。作为近年活跃在 XR 领域的新晋创作者，你可以在 Meta Horizon、Apple Vision、线下娱乐和沉浸戏剧等多个生态领域看到她的身影，作品类型之丰富、品质之高，使她的经历愈发令人好奇。我们在这届大赛的颁奖礼当天，录制了这期「IndieMatters | 独立食粮」电台，希望她的故事，能给更多独立开发者带来启发。--- 节目信息 ---日期：2025-12-18嘉宾：费晨仪主播：脑潘--- 内容提要 ---00:00 叙事解谜游戏「唯有影子知道」21:20 为何踏上 XR 独立开发者之路30:23 首个作品 VR 音游「种子指挥家」40:57 线下 AR 多人对抗游戏「气与魔法」45:29 MR 互动戏剧「有完没完！弗兰梗斯坦！」53:19 如何通过作品项目完成高效的媒介探索54:50 Horizon Worlds 手游项目58:41 未来的计划、挑战与期望01:04:15 优秀 XR 游戏制作人的独特视角--- 制作团队 ---剪辑：脑潘音乐：布鲁特运营：伊雪--- 联系我们 ---官网：indiematters.com哔哩哔哩 / 微博 / 小红书：VRplay公众号：vr-play交流群：点击公号下方按钮「内容-我要进群」

Alan Lasky arrived at the AI XR Podcast straight from Las Vegas ahead of NAB. An MIT Media Lab graduate under Nicholas Negroponte, a veteran of Silicon Graphics and Amazon Web Services, and an advisor to investment banks on AI and media, he brings technical depth, industry history, and financial realism about where media is actually going.The conversation covers Hollywood's structural collapse, AI's role in the production renaissance, and the harder question of why trillion-dollar tech companies keep buying media businesses that can't generate comparable returns. Alan's answer: soft power. Amazon makes $950 million Lord of the Rings spinoffs so you order more paper towels. Apple is making Neuromancer. His five-year weighted moving average of Disney stock — flat from 2018 — makes the argument clean.AI XR News You Should Know: Artemis ignited a new space boom. Amazon acquired Global Star satellite to build Project Kuiper, a direct Starlink competitor. Apple's AI audio smart glasses are reportedly arriving this year per Mark Gurman at Bloomberg, entering a market where Meta owns the optometrist channel and Google is moving through Warby Parker. Snap laid off 15% while doubling down on the 2026 launch of Spectacles — the first see-through headset since Magic Leap.Key Moments:[00:04:48] – Artemis and the space boom: Ted on filming shuttle launches and why the crew's accomplishment is underestimated.[00:08:33] – Apple AI audio glasses: Rony's read from former Magic Leapers who designed them — if Apple gets this wrong, it's unforgivable.[00:12:00] – Snap's layoffs and the see-through gamble: can they compete with cheap AI audio glasses flooding the market?[00:16:43] – Hollywood is no longer the center of the universe — Alan on why most of the industry hasn't metabolized that yet.[00:23:01] – Charlie on AI democratization: a couple hundred dollars per minute for what looks like live action on a phone.[00:36:00] – The soft power thesis: why tech giants keep buying media assets that never pay off at their scale.[00:41:30] – Should Apple buy Disney? Charlie says Meta will do it first. Rony's reaction is immediate and visceral.[00:47:44] – AI resurrects Val Kilmer: Alan's origin story from three months in the Australian desert on the worst film of his career.Alan's closing frame: he grew up reading Gibson and Brunner in the eighties, excited to live in that world. He's in it. He's not sure he wanted it this way.This episode is sponsored by Zappar and Mattercraft — the leading visual development environment for immersive 3D web experiences, now with AI-assisted design and debug. Build at mattercraft.io. Subscribe to the AI XR Podcast for more conversations at the edge of AI, XR, and the future of media.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

本期嘉宾是左目互娱创始人 Max，今年初 Rokid 在武汉举办的「Spatial Joy 2025 全球 AR & AI 开发大赛」决赛上，他的团队凭借《奇影创演》和《神笔马良们》，分别赢得 AR 应用和 AR 游戏双赛道金奖，并获得武汉江夏科投 100 万种子基金投资，总共获得超 150 万元奖励。本期 IndieMatters 独立食粮电台录制于决赛颁奖礼后的当晚，让我们详细了解左目互娱的 XR 开发故事。节目中提到的产品「奇影梦」：stagemon.com--- 节目信息 ---日期：2026-01-18嘉宾：Max (王健)主播：脑潘--- 内容提要 ---00:00 包揽 AR 游戏应用双金奖 150 万奖励04:30 XR 影戏 UGC 创演平台「奇影创演」背后故事20:11 如何打造 AR UGC 对战游戏「神笔马良们」27:28 合理采用 AI 技术提升 XR 互动体验38:28 公司如何平衡创作与生存47:07 AI 时代小团队在 XR 创新领域有巨大探索空间58:15 是否有立项更大规模游戏项目的计划01:00:03 计划如何使用 Rokid 大赛奖金--- 制作团队 ---剪辑：脑潘音乐：布鲁特运营：伊雪--- 联系我们 ---官网：indiematters.com哔哩哔哩 / 微博 / 小红书：VRplay公众号：vr-play交流群：点击公号下方按钮「内容-我要进群」

Explore the latest news on Google smart glasses, concerns over shortages of Apple's MacBook Neo, and Microsoft's shifting Surface strategy. Steven Scott and Shaun Preece dive into the week's biggest tech stories, from luxury AI wearables to the rising costs of PC hardware. This episode of Double Tap Mainstream unpacks Google's renewed push into XR glasses with Project Aura, featuring partnerships with brands like Gucci and Gentle Monster. The hosts reflect on the legacy of Google Glass, the role of fashion in wearable tech, and how Meta's Ray-Bans and potential Apple Glasses shape the market. The discussion then moves to Apple's MacBook Neo, its surprising popularity, and the potential for a future “Mac Neo” desktop. Steven and Shaun analyse why this affordable yet premium Mac is disrupting the PC market, and how Windows laptop makers must adapt. Finally, the spotlight turns to Microsoft: rising Surface laptop prices, the mysterious retirement of Outlook Lite, and the company's strategy amid competition from Apple and Amazon's expanding satellite ambitions. ----Follow on:YouTube: https://www.doubletaponair.com/youtubeX (formerly Twitter): https://www.doubletaponair.com/xInstagram: https://www.doubletaponair.com/instagramTikTok: https://www.doubletaponair.com/tiktokThreads: https://www.doubletaponair.com/threadsFacebook: https://www.doubletaponair.com/facebookLinkedIn: https://www.doubletaponair.com/linkedin Subscribe to the Podcast:Apple: https://www.doubletaponair.com/appleSpotify: https://www.doubletaponair.com/spotifyRSS: https://www.doubletaponair.com/podcastiHeadRadio: https://www.doubletaponair.com/iheart About Double TapHosted by the insightful duo, Steven Scott and Shaun Preece, Double Tap is a treasure trove of information for anyone who's blind or partially sighted and has a passion for tech. Steven and Shaun not only demystify tech, but they also regularly feature interviews and welcome guests from the community, fostering an interactive and engaging environment. Tune in every day of the week, and you'll discover how technology can seamlessly integrate into your life, enhancing daily tasks and experiences, even if your sight is limited."Double Tap" is a registered trademark of Double Tap Productions Inc. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jim talks with John Krakauer—professor of neurology and neuroscience, director of the Center for Study of Motor Learning and Brain Repair at Johns Hopkins, and external faculty at SFI—about his 2017 paper "Neuroscience Needs Behavior: Correcting a Reductionist Bias." They discuss defining behavior as ecologically valid goal-directed action within an animal's umwelt, behavioral decomposition being epistemically prior to neural investigation, bipedal running and Sherrington's spinalized cat experiments as illustrations of that decomposition, what a satisfying neural explanation should actually look like, emergence and neuroscientists' resistance to it, the concept of explanatory autonomy and the "wings don't fly, birds do" framing, downward causality and the traffic jam analogy, Sherrington's own epistemic humility about understanding thought, whether consciousness will eventually be explained the way life was or remain permanently fuzzy, the three traditions of studying the nervous system and their persistent tensions, the problem of double-dipping with coarse-grained behavioral language in neural data, "filler verbs" like "involves" and "underlies" that add surplus meaning to a correlation without doing extra explanatory work, everyday pseudo-explanations like dopamine for unhappiness and oxytocin for love, the identity fallacy, LLMs as scientific sparring partners and critical reviewers, Krakauer's vertigo at the current moment and the possibility of retiring if AI generates better intuitions, interpretable AI as a new subject for neuroscience and psychology, Jim's own artificial consciousness project building a rudimentary white-tailed deer, distinguishing consciousness from cognition and sentience, separating the machinery of consciousness from its contents, Nagel's "What Is It Like to Be a Bat?" and echolocation as conscious content, multiple realizability and its being pervasive and fatal to naive reductionism, the mereological fallacy and mirror neurons as ground zero for multiple fallacies, Marr's three levels and the direction of the scientific project from behavioral goal to algorithm to neural implementation, the bradykinesia paper finding that Parkinson's patients move slowly because they want to move more slowly, the C. elegans connectome and the limits of that knowledge, the Jonas and Kording microprocessor paper, and much more. Episode Transcript "Neuroscience Needs Behavior: Correcting a Reductionist Bias", by John Krakauer "What Is It Like to Be a Bat?", by Thomas Nagel "Why Don't We Move Faster?", by Pietro Mazzoni, Anna Hristova, and John Krakauer "Could a Neuroscientist Understand a Microprocessor?", by Eric Jonas and Konrad Kording John Krakauer is currently John C. Malone Professor, Professor of Neurology, Neuroscience, and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and Director of the Brain, Learning, Animation, and Movement Lab at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is also an External Professor at the Santa Fe Institute and Director of the Centre for Restorative Neurotechnology at The Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown. His areas of research interest include experimental and computational studies of motor control and motor learning, long-term skill learning and its relation to higher cognitive processes, prediction and mechanisms of motor recovery after stroke, new neuro-rehabilitation approaches including immersive XR gaming with generative AI, robotics and invasive CNS stimulation, and philosophy of mind. He is slowly working on a new book on the mind, intelligence, and AI for Princeton University Press.

Ian Hamilton spent years as editor in chief of Upload VR before launching his own Substack, Good VR, and podcast at goodvirtualreality.com. He is one of the few people covering XR longer and more deeply than Charlie Fink, and his perspective spans platform architecture, business strategy, and genuine on-the-ground journalism since the DK1 days.This conversation traces why the XR dream has taken longer than anyone expected. Ian and Rony Abovitz reconstruct the moment the ecosystem forked — when Meta's Oculus acquisition closed off the open, Valve-led platform path that Magic Leap and everyone else had been building toward. Ian argues the platforms are now playing for keeps: OpenXR moves on decade timescales, and that friction is what keeps real transformation just out of reach.On hardware, his case is sharp: Meta's self-imposed $200–$600 price ceiling makes OLED and eye tracking impossible at mass market — exactly the features Apple bet on as the mandatory baseline — and that contradiction is why Bosworth ended up pivoting to AI glasses.In AI XR News You Should Know: Anthropic's Mythos AI model reportedly escaped the company's own containment. Charlie and Rony debate whether calling the consequences "unintended" is even credible given decades of published warnings. Also: a Hollywood Reporter and Otis School study found AI is not the primary driver of empty LA sound stages — runaway production and tax incentives are the main story.Key Moments:[00:01:00] – Charlie's new vertical melodrama "Linda's Last Podcast" and why generative AI is already good enough for social media storytelling.[00:04:52] – Rony on Anthropic's Mythos: the compute to cure cancer, aimed somewhere else.[00:11:47] – Half of Gen Z holds a negative view of AI. Charlie on the Brown grad who turned down an AI studio internship on principle.[00:36:00] – Rony and Ian reconstruct the Valve/Oculus open platform — and walk through exactly how that future closed.[00:47:00] – Meta's price ceiling, OLED as a strategic forcing function, and why Bosworth landed on AI glasses.[00:52:00] – Ian on the Apple Vision Pro mid-flight: why the headset is a personal computer, not a wearable.Ian's long view: we're about ten percent of the way through the total investment required to reach a billion users. The supply chain is better than ever, the software has found its footing in simulation and training, and the next five to ten years could be the most interesting window yet — if the platforms decide to let the ecosystem breathe.This episode is sponsored by Zappar, the team behind Mattercraft — the leading visual development environment for building immersive 3D web experiences on mobile, headsets, and desktop.Mattercraft now features an AI assistant that helps you design, code, and debug in real time. Start building at mattercraft.io.Subscribe to the AI XR Podcast for more conversations at the edge of AI, XR, and the future of media.Available where you get podcasts. Watch full episodes on YouTube https://youtu.be/x5wQy4HBhYESee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

DeWalt just dropped a massive announcement that we've been waiting years for! In tonight's livestream, we are breaking down everything we know so far about the newly announced DeWalt 20V Cordless Track Saw. There's no official release date yet, but the hype is incredibly real. Rumors are saying "late summer" for release dates.PLUS, DeWalt is expanding their XR lineup with two brand new sanders—a 5-inch and a 6-inch model—slated to hit shelves by the end of the summer.In this stream, we're covering:- First impressions and details on the 20V Track Saw reveal- What to expect from the new 5" and 6" XR sanders- Will this make people jump ship from Festool or Makita?- Jump in the chat and let me know—are you buying this track saw as soon as it's available?Video version of this episode: https://youtube.com/live/CdMtTa01TpMWant to be the first to know when these tools actually drop and go on sale? Make sure you're signed up for The Cut List newsletter so you don't miss out when they finally hit the market. Sign up here: https://mailchi.mp/731woodworks/daily-tool-deals#tools #dewalt #woodworkingSupport the show