The Future Is More Immersive Than Anyone Thinks

I don't think most people understand how immersive the future will be as AI takes over the world like a plague; only this time, the plague will change some things for the better. Apple revealed the Vision Pro in 2023, and many still see it as a failed product, especially compared with its cheaper competition from Meta's Quest line. But I think this product needed to be invented, and with it, the technology. We'll see a similar, less bulky product in the not-so-distant future. It's inevitable; I think AI entertainment will reach a scale no one understands. The technology is evolving at such a fast pace that it won't be long before you can't even differentiate between an AI film and the real thing.

But what does this mean? Many think AI will overtake filmmaking and animation, but I think it will do more than that. An AI character doesn't need to sleep or rest, so a system can create stories 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, forever. I think we'll see the rise of endless franchises, where the business value will be the IP behind the characters and creations. Just like life, we'll probably have endless episodes, or even daily episodes, of a character's life, with AI systems writing daily stories that evolve and intertwine with other AI characters. Entertainment will emulate human life. The way I look at it, it's a natural progression beyond creating full AI films and streaming seasonal series.

Authors will write their books, and you'll have a choice of purchasing the book, the audio version, or the unabridged AI version of the book. Literally the book, word for word, scene by scene, with AI rendering it as an accompanying film.

In 1999, The Matrix came out. Little did anyone know it would describe the future, in some ways, so accurately—not the machines-taking-over part, though who knows at this point if that's in the cards, but the interaction of humans and machines: the desire, whether we like it or not, to integrate ourselves more and more with technology. What started as machines that stood in a room shrank to fit on a table, from the labs to corporate America to our homes. Soon after, to the palm of our hand, our wrists, eyes, and ears. Some may deny it and not want to see what the attempt is. But there's a desire to harness and integrate the power of computing and now artificial intelligence into one being, and while we may be far from that, there's no doubt in my mind that the road leads there. Not for everybody, but I think it will be a compelling proposal for most.

We can't stop the eventual integration of technology into the human psyche and body. Perhaps not in my lifetime, but it will come. Human synchrony with this evolving technology is all but assured. You can see the need all around you as we hear stories of younger generations not going out as they used to. As sad as it is, I can see us yearning to get plugged into the Matrix… literally.

I have doubts about the job aspect; yes, I've seen enough to be convinced that many specialized entry positions and menial white-collar jobs will be replaced by AIs. At first, much like many who report to a boss in another part of the country or a continent away, some will report to an AI manager. Later, perhaps, to one who is physically present as a humanoid robot. My prediction is that those who will prevail are the ones who understand that being creative problem solvers and solution finders will always have a home. Creativity in any field will prevail from a human perspective, as will all manual jobs, or any job that requires a physical human to perform it.

Another faction of experts thinks current AI capabilities are largely overblown. They argue that AI and current LLMs can do very cool things, but not enough to be the scary monster hiding under our bed. To them, the current state of AI is akin to a powerful tool, but just a tool nonetheless, no different than the desktop computer when it became ubiquitous in the 80s throughout corporate America. I think they are downplaying the situation. From what I've seen, the capabilities being built out are just the tip of the iceberg. "Robot operators" that are actually worth the time talking to, resolving whatever need you have from a customer service standpoint in lieu of a call to a human. Pulling data from different sources and making it make sense, running a complex business analysis and making decisions in mere minutes, something that would have taken an individual or a group hours or days. Targeting packages for military strikes, the technology is now hitting the warfront and will inevitably trickle down to law enforcement and later to civilian use. Medical advancement and research are expedited by at least making the flow of information vastly faster. And an endless array of technology is being developed and is already in use in the signals intelligence arena. No, this goes way beyond an LLM, and the doors open wider the more time the user is willing to put in to learn the capabilities and explore what's out there.

Just like Icarus, the son of master craftsman Daedalus, escaping Crete with wings built out of bird feathers and wax. Icarus failed to heed his father’s warnings, too thrilled to be flying; it remains to be seen whether this is our story with technology, but for now, we are all along for the ride and don’t seem to be getting used to the sun… yet.