As we come barreling and tumbling towards an exponential future where technology keeps on accelerating and keeping track of the latest progress in the field of AI seems to be a full-time job at this point (which is Why I salute everyone who’s trying to do that mind-bending task) We can see different trends popping off into the market and gaining more and more traction. As previously discussed in one of my earlier articles we talked about the rise of Supercreativity as a force that could grow slowly but surely thanks to the capacity of generative AIs. And it surely seems like we are going there.
As we advance into increasingly sophisticated AI image generators, video creators, and potentially even video games, a question arises: are we witnessing the very fabric of reality begin to unravel? The rise of Generative AI (Gen AI) makes it challenging to distinguish between real and simulated images, videos, and sounds. This begs the question: how will we discern reality in the future, and will we be drawn more and more to virtual experiences over the physical world, or this meatspace that we currently inhabit?
The Power of Generative AI
Currently, I think we can still identify a deepfake video if we look carefully, or have been on the internet long enough to see these things to develop a keen eye. These are the examples of Argil AI generating deep fake videos of certain celebrities talking explicitly about how they’re AIs (So meta)
But still, this is something somewhat easy to identify, then we have face masking and voice modifying AIs that can remake the way your lips move and rework your voice from your base language to any other language as in the following test video (from the ancient times of 6 months ago)
We are also seeing AI being used in other venues (like how AI is being used in all areas of life today) in the procedural generation of video game worlds, items, and character personalities and dialogues. We already have demos of Virtual Humans being created for video games that could soon enough populate our virtual worlds where we can have in-depth nuanced conversations while at the same time bringing a unique playing experience for each person engaging with these characters. This technology can be used and extrapolated for AI-generated landscapes objects storylines dialogue and so much more.
Now, this seems really cool and the last paragraph almost seemed like I copied it off a press release now that I re-read it (but I am not changing it) but that is also because the prospect of this technology is crazy interesting while also being incredibly scary in some way. Just look at the latest developments of the Unreal Engine and how this scene seems like it was recorded from a phone but then a giant Pink object interacts with the smoke.
And that’s the thing I believe since 2023 to today we have seen advances in Generative AI that are incredible, and the thing is this rate of innovation and improvement seems to be only acceleration (remember Moore’s Law and the exponential acceleration of computing power, which was theorized decades before this incredible HYPE for AI came unto the global scene)
Escaping the Mundane
Now the CEO of Nvidia announced a couple of days ago during an unveiling of an endless barrage of news of the company launching new processors made for AI and other wonderful news said one piece of forecasting that in 5 to 10 years from now we might have fully AI generated Videogames. Now, as a gamer myself, I believe this brings incredible things where small developers will be able to leverage skills and production capacity without the need to hire many employees reducing the costs and democratizing the capacity for more and more people to create fascinating interactive virtual worlds.
The true potential of Generative AI, however, transcends video games. It lies in the transformative realm of Virtual Reality (VR). Imagine inhabiting an AI-generated world, not a static landscape, but a dynamic ecosystem that responds to your actions and evolves with your presence. These worlds wouldn't simply exist, they would co-create with us in a poietic manner, (a term derived from the Greek word for "to make.") Our interactions would become the brushstrokes with which these virtual realities paint themselves, blurring the line between creator and creation.
If we consider that we are already living in a world where Brains are connecting directly to digital interfaces that allow us to play Mario Kart it is not a far leap into the unknown for us to extrapolate and see how we could have a more symbiotic relationship between our brains and digital worlds where we could transmit directly these virtual worlds unto our brain and have more and more immersive VR experiences in the coming years.
The Allure of Virtuality
The allure of entertainment, compared to the baseline of everyday life, can be attributed to its curated nature. Films, video games, and other media meticulously craft experiences, eliminating tedious moments and focusing on excitement, drama, and tension. Even in seemingly "slower" narratives, the pacing is designed to propel us towards the next milestone. This is in stark contrast to real life, where progress often feels glacial. Building skills or achieving goals in the physical world takes time and effort, unlike video games where dedicated grinding can yield dramatic results in just a couple of hours. Essentially, entertainment thrives by filtering out the tedium that permeates our daily lives.
The prospect of fully immersive VR directly interfacing with the human brain raises a chilling question: will we ever be able to tear ourselves away from these virtual worlds? Consider the current struggle with attention spans in the face of the relentless algorithms and recommendation engines driving our smartphone use. Now imagine companies crafting VR experiences meticulously designed to capture not just our fleeting attention, but our very existence. These virtual worlds wouldn't simply compete for our time; they'd become all-encompassing realities, blurring the lines between the simulated and the real.
Imagine AI-designed VR worlds where limitations are a thing of the past. No longer tethered to the physical constraints of our bodies, we could soar through the cosmos at unimaginable speeds, exploring galaxies light-years away. Gone are the restrictions of light speed; these virtual universes can be tailored to quench our thirst for cosmic exploration. Or perhaps you yearn for fantastical realms brimming with alien life. Generative AI can craft worlds teeming with unique flora and fauna, populated by civilizations unlike anything we've ever encountered. The key lies in personalization – these VR experiences would be yours to command, letting you fly with mythical creatures or delve into the mysteries of alien cultures.
And when that happens What will happen to the “real” world what attractive feature will there be to log off and exist in this physical realm anymore?
Are we ready for it?
The specter of unpreparedness hangs heavy upon our heads. Our social media deluge, rife with misinformation, and our ongoing struggle to grasp the true potential of Generative AI paint a cautionary tale. We should heed the warning of these trends and see how to extract the greatest value from our technological advances while keeping human dignity and flourishing as our goals.
As this technology matures, birthing custom-built, fully AI-generated virtual worlds, humanity will face a monumental choice: venture outward, as a species reaching for the boundless expanse of the cosmos, or inward, seeking ever-deeper and more intricate virtual realities.
Will we become architects of a majestic cosmic civilization, stretching our tendrils across the vast canvas of space, or will we retreat into self-built labyrinths of simulated experience, a civilization growing ever taller within the confines of the virtual, at the risk of neglecting the boundless potential of the real? The answer, it seems, lies at the crux of this "wide versus tall" conundrum. Will we choose the expansive grandeur of the universe or the intricate, self-contained grandeur of a million simulated worlds?