The Emperor's New Clothes: AI As A Weaver For The Fabrics Of Reality
Won the second prize of Vietnam AI Contest 2023.
LONG ANSWER ESSAY: “VIRTUAL REALITIES: DELVE INTO A FUTURE WHERE AI BLURS THE BOUNDARIES BETWEEN PHYSICAL AND VIRTUAL REALITIES. EXPLORE IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCES, AUGMENTED REALITIES, AND THE IMPACT ON HUMAN PERCEPTION, CREATIVITY, AND SOCIETAL STRUCTURES.”
Authors: Phan Bảo Đức Phát, Quách Thiên Lạc, Trần Thanh Hải, Huỳnh Lăng Minh Trị
Proofreaders: this essay was cross-proofread by all members of the team.
April 10, 2009, was an otherwise normal day in Japan: a stimulus package was announced, economic sanctions against North Korea were strengthened, and the first installment of Sword Art Online was published. The package or sanctions could have slipped some’s memory, but ask them about the light novels and you may be talking to a fan: with 30 million copies sold as of 2022,[1] the 27-volume work left its mark on an entire generation. While praised for its innovative world-building, one key ingredient to the series’ success - virtual reality (VR) - is a recurring trope. From The Matrix to Ready Player One, alternate realities have always appealed to our deep-seated desire for a second life, or at least, one blended with reality, conducive to entertainment, research, education, even therapy. Recent technological advancements helped materialize this once quixotic dream, yet constructing such environments remains laborious and exorbitant work. Enter artificial intelligence (AI). No less important in terms of world-changing potential, AI, unparalleled in its data processing capabilities, could be the panacea to challenges facing the development of alternate reality. The union of these powerful technologies, one Neuromancer and the other Wintermute,[2] will create a world whose limit we can only begin to fathom.
But what exactly defines these groundbreaking technologies? Digital environment modification methods collectively called extended reality (XR), which include virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), function on a fundamental principle - to construct verisimilitude of reality - and are meant to be used in myriad fields, most notably education, healthcare, and entertainment. Despite similar-sounding names, these technologies exhibit key differences that determine the apparatus suitable for each.
VR puts users in an entirely computer-generated environment, utilizing specially designed headsets[3] to replace their view of the real world with digital projections. This technology replicates visual perception using motion tracking to coordinate head movements with virtual positions, and a stereoscopic depth-emulation display, creating lifelike experiences impossible to mimic with conventional two-dimensional screens. Other common extensions – 360-degree audio systems, eye-face tracking devices, and handheld spatial tracking controllers – also help maximize the artificial world's believability, thereby psychologically transporting users to another universe.[4]
In contrast, AR overlays[5] computer-generated visuals onto the real world, allowing users to see their surroundings with digital elements incorporated. This is cleverly achieved with transparent materials or built-in cameras of contemporary mobile devices. It enables simultaneous display of both the real world and the digital objects, and when combined with VR's motion trackers, can fabricate these entities' presence in the physical world.
On another note, despite having existed for some time, AI only garnered massive attention recently with the emergence of revolutionary contenders like ChatGPT. Their presence underscores the technology's interdisciplinary capabilities, non-excluding XR development. Present-day AIs operate via machine learning, a multi-stage process[6] in which AI units are fed vast amounts of relevant data, which they process to execute preprogrammed tasks; this iterative process continues until a desirable output is achieved. Latest advancements indicate AI's improving proficiency in tasks such as natural language processing, image generation, object recognition, and predictive modeling, enhancing the realism XR technologies aim to portray.
Far from being a nascent concept, papers exploring the possibility of AI-XR date back to the 2000s.[7] Nonetheless, while progress remains slow (a literature review[8] showed the majority of works on the subject was published after 2018), perhaps we should hypothesize about its ability.
Fundamental to any convincing XR are three components: environments facilitating the illusion of an immersive virtual world; agents autonomous enough[9] to understand and react to user input; consistent physical attributes to create a sense of “embodiment.”[10] Integration of AI into work processes will tackle issues they pose.
First, provided sufficient computing power, XRs need not adhere to predetermined courses as a real-time synthesis of objects with lifelike internal mechanisms immediately corresponds to users’ unpredictable actions, thereby removing boundaries native to human-made worlds. Generative AI will be inextricable to the process: models like DALL-E 3 or Stable Diffusion are already capable of producing authentic images from every input imaginable. In time, powerful quantum processors could simultaneously support “Diffusion-GAN”[11] and physics-based animation to render objects whose properties extend beyond mere contrast values and planar positions.
Second, the ubiquity of virtual autonomous agents, preprogrammed with foreknowledge and dispositions, would be part of future AI-XR landscapes. These characters possess consistent yet modifiable “personalities” that portray processed data according to their temperament through facial expressions, tones, or behaviors, all with minimal human intervention. Buyers need only give them a goal, and the characters could be one’s medical trainer, sparring partner, even therapist,[12],[13],[14] tailor-made to adapt to their skill level or mental state over time. To become autonomous, the agents will require two systems embedded in their codes: one to comprehend numerous means of input by users and the other to initiate a similar variety of responses. AI chatbots using Natural Language Processing, the exemplar being ChatGPT, could be combined with multimodal emotion recognition techniques[15] to form a comprehensive understanding of both verbal and non-verbal cues that satisfies the former requirement, while advancements in cognitive computing make the latter possible.
Third, a seamless XR will see AI using its processing power to monitor environmental responses to user input, since the illusion of virtual embodiment only exists should everything, including their fake bodies, behave as they do in real life. This system tracks eye movements, generates objects based on the area of focus (or alters visual elements in the case of AR interfaces), and adapts any tactile results to haptic sensors. A host of challenges concerning accurate visual fields, compound movements, and tactile authenticity could then be surmounted, promoting greater emotional depths to the experience.[16]
The combination of the two technological fields to complement each other can transform industries outside their computing domain, advancing the frontiers in humanitarian development further. Nevertheless, potential repercussions loom as the field poses inherent risks that could cause severe implications.[17]
Notably, VR offers an extra layer of genuineness and authenticity to the current digital communication infrastructures. No longer will meetings be held in the currently uncompromising environment of a fixed, physical room - paradoxical to our globalized world. VR, along with virtual chat rooms, will provide customization through novel features like real-time translation, or even voice re-enactments unique to each person. However, overreliance on AI-driven VR for work and social interactions may lead to face-to-face interaction aversion. This could impact societal bonds, communication skills, and community dynamics, mirroring the hurdle ubiquitous in today’s society.
Extrapolating its benefit to the increasingly learner-focused educational sector, AR-incorporated interactive teaching instruments will be preferred over traditional printed resources. Utilizing AI, future students can reenact historical events, explore otherwise inaccessible habitats, and conduct chemical experiments, minimizing the risk of physical harm.
VR’s cutting-edge simulation is another powerful tool, especially in professional development for careers in healthcare, aviation, sports, and emergency services. These risk-free simulations immerse professionals in lifelike scenarios, enhancing skills through experiential learning while also monitoring progress with AI-suggested feedback. For instance, the integration of AR in medical training allows students to engage in theoretical sessions, examine 3D models, and eliminate live subjects' involvement in ethical dissections of organs, a concept nearly impossible with physical models.[18] Thus, it ensures that future doctors, pilots, and firefighters make apt decisions in demanding situations - something traditional mock exercises struggle to simulate while being more budget-friendly and controlled. However, AI assistants' unpredictability may compound emergencies[19] where responding to negative emotions is fallacious.
Running parallel with overcoming situation-specific pressure is conquering personal fear through therapy sessions led by an XR-AI initiative. Incorporating AI therapists into VR programming can improve mental health treatment by making it more accessible to people who lack time or money to see a practitioner in person, especially in crises like the COVID-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, deviation from professional guidance into self-diagnosing and self-treating could lead people down a slippery slope of mistreatment. Therefore, careful consideration that encompasses both human and nonhuman assistance is needed to address potential challenges.[20]
Meanwhile, warped incentives continue to push AI companies towards furthering unconsented data collection to promote conspicuous consumption through individual profiling or emotional prediction, completely unbounded by any governing body. Such inquiries into the efficacy of AI perplex us in harnessing its power both effectively and ethically, while also avoiding its ramifications.
Nevertheless, an idealistic extended reality fabricates a zone where humanity is free from any limits of the real world, its complexity having disappeared. This exciting prospect in mind, future societies are expected to see an exponential growth of XR applications.[21] That being said, however, current AI-XR is still in its infancy; from utopic dreamscapes to authoritarian weaponization, any outcome seems likely. However careful harnessing attempts are, the risk of abuse still presents. Similar to its predecessors - books: the danger of misusing this technology is not that of a loaded gun, but of an addictive yet latent poison, slowly indoctrinating ignorant users with malicious biases and ideologies. Thus, effective measures devised concurrently to its development are imperative to address problems relating to AI-XR.
The first of these issues is one inevitably associated with any novel form of entertainment: addiction. As increasingly realistic XRs render direct communication redundant, users increasingly retreat into virtual spaces, slowly nurturing obsession and its concomitant anti-social tendencies. This heightened immersion in entertainment also exacerbates mental and physical disorders already present in today’s digital addicts. Successful tackling requires users to take the initiative by proactively self-diagnosing their degree of virtual engagement and determining suitable methods for controlling it. Rehabilitation centers specialized in media addiction with departments geared to dealing with VR specifically are essential in case the severity of addiction resembles that of substance abuse.[22]
Another rising concern is the existence of biases in the algorithm that mimic current social discrimination. Because real-life racial and cultural stereotypes persist within the data pools fed to AIs that are incorporated into XR-assisted education and entertainment, younger demographics might be more vulnerable to such prejudices. Stronger regulation of cultural variations within datasets to reflect multiculturalism is vital, forcing profit-hungry companies to respect fundamental human rights. In other words, the key to building objective AIs lies less in data quantity than in a careful selection of what goes into the algorithm.
Furthermore, the creation of a government panel tasked with researching and developing AIs is urgently needed to oversee its integration into other technologies - most prominently XR. Proactive policies in creating an evaluation system or corporate guidelines could foster trust within the public and provide guardrails for responsible development while preserving technological freedom. Equally important are mechanisms for public education of AI’s permeation into our lives and public participation in AI ethics decision-making for more reliable AI-XR technology. Pertinently, overseeing AI must involve interdisciplinary teams, including ethicists, psychologists, and sociologists, to provide a comprehensive evaluation of potential risks and impacts, extending beyond AI expertise.
Turning AI-XR into a reality with existing technology is, frankly, hard. Midjourney and Stable Diffusion, among the best generative AIs of present, still struggle to render five-fingered human hands;[23] controversy-rifed Meta Horizon Worlds, developed in late 2021 supposedly as the world’s first virtual social media, saw massive operating losses and a flatlined user base.[24] Notwithstanding current limitations concerning hardware and codes, the advent of alternate realities inevitably spawns a plethora of problems that add to the ones we have yet to solve in real life, not least those originating from the hybrid technology itself. There are causes for hope, however. Theories of integration are straightforward, predictions optimistic, and solutions numerous, all driven by an unprecedented explosion of interest in both fields of research; trailblazers have already laid the groundwork. What is expected of us laymen is unfaltering support of their work as the road is being paved, as well as a willingness to bolster their ranks if possible, so our collective ambition can be realized faster. Once there, the Wintermute/Neuromancer we labored so indefatigably to marry will revolutionize every aspect of our lives, making it worth, for the first time, the fantasies of science fiction novelists.
[1]. “The Record-Breaking Sword Art Online Novel: 30 Million Copies.” Anime Sweet. Last modified June 28, 2022.
https://animesweet.com/anime/the-record-breaking-sword-art-online-novel-30-million-copies-distributed/.
[2]. The novel Neuromancer tells the tale of a heist in which Henry Case, the main character, and his crew are tasked by the super AI Wintermute to merge it with its cousin, Neuromancer, to become a superconsciousness.
[3]. Dredge, Stuart. “The Complete Guide to Virtual Reality – Everything You Need to Get Started.” The Guardian, April 16, 2020.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/nov/10/virtual-reality-guide-headsets-apps-games-vr.
[4]. Rauschnabel, Philipp A., Reto Felix, Chris Hinsch, Hamza Shahab, and Florain Alt. “What Is XR? Towards a
Framework for Augmented and Virtual Reality.” Computers in Human Behavior 133 (August 1, 2022): 107289.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2022.107289.
[5]. TEDx Talks. “How Immersive Technologies (AR/VR) Will Shape Our Future | Dinesh Punni |
TEDxTUBerlinSalon.” Video. YouTube, August 30, 2021.
[6]. Simplilearn. “The Rise of Technology-Augmented Reality(AR), Virtual Reality(VR) and Mixed Reality(MR)
|Simplilearn.” Video. YouTube, April 3, 2020.
[7]. Aylett, Ruth, and Michael Luck. “Applying Artificial Intelligence to Virtual Reality: Intelligent Virtual
Environments.” ResearchGate (January 1, 2000).
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/284687064_Applying_Artificial_Intelligence_to_Virtual_Reality_Inelligent_Virtual_Environments.
[8]. Reiners, Dirk, Mohammad Reza Davahli, Waldemar Karwowski, and Carolina Cruz-Neira. “The Combination
of Artificial Intelligence and Extended Reality: A Systematic Review.” Frontiers in Virtual Reality 2 (September
7, 2021). https://doi.org/10.3389/frvir.2021.721933.
[9]. “What Is a Virtual Agent? | IBM.” https://www.ibm.com/topics/virtual-agent.
[10]. Gall, Dominik, Daniel Roth, Jan-Philipp Stauffert, Julian Zarges, and Marc Erich Latoschik. “Embodiment in
Virtual Reality Intensifies Emotional Responses to Virtual Stimuli.” Frontiers in Psychology 12 (September 6,
2021). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.674179.
[11]. Wang, Zhendong. “Diffusion-GAN: Training GANs with Diffusion.” arXiv.Org. Last modified June 5, 2022.
https://arxiv.org/abs/2206.02262.
[12]. Shinjini Kundu, “How Will Artificial Intelligence Change Medical Training?,”
Communications Medicine 1, no. 1 (June 30, 2021),
https://doi.org/10.1038/s43856-02100003-5.
[13]. Lee, Chengkuo, Zi Hao Guo, ZiXuan Zhang, Kang An, Ting He, Zhongda Sun, and Xiong Pu. “A Wearable
Multidimensional Motion Sensor for AI-Enhanced VR Sports.” Research 6 (January 1, 2023). https://doi.org/10.34133/research.0154.
[14]. Horesh, Danny, Shaked Kohavi, Limor Shilony-Nalaboff, Naomi Rudich, D. A. Greenman, Joseph S.
Feuerstein, and Muhammad Rashid Abbasi. “Virtual Reality Combined with Artificial Intelligence (VR-AI)
Reduces Hot Flashes and Improves Psychological Well-Being in Women with Breast and Ovarian Cancer: A Pilot
Study.” Healthcare 10, no. 11 (November 11, 2022): 2261. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10112261.
[15]. Liu, Wei. “Multimodal Emotion Recognition Using Multimodal Deep Learning.” arXiv.Org. Last modified
February 26, 2016. https://arxiv.org/abs/1602.08225.
[16]. Gall, Dominik, Daniel Roth, Jan-Philipp Stauffert, Julian Zarges, and Marc Erich Latoschik. “Embodiment in
Virtual Reality Intensifies Emotional Responses to Virtual Stimuli.” Frontiers in Psychology 12 (September 6,
2021). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.674179.
[17]. Amodei, Dario. “Concrete Problems in AI Safety.” arXiv.Org. Last modified June 21, 2016.
https://arxiv.org/abs/1606.06565.
[18]. “Implementation of Virtual Reality in Healthcare, Entertainment, Tourism, Education, and Retail Sectors
Munich Personal REPEC Archive.” https://mpra.ub.uni-muenchen.de/110491/.
[19]. Omohundro, Stephen M. “The Basic AI Drives.” ResearchGate (January 1, 2008).
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/221328949_The_basic_AI_drives.
[20]. Baniasadi, Tayebeh, Seyed Mohammad Ayyoubzadeh, and Niloofar Mohammadzadeh. “Challenges and
Practical Considerations in Applying Virtual Reality in Medical Education and Treatment.” Oman Medical
Journal 35, no. 3 (May 15, 2020): e125. https://doi.org/10.5001/omj.2020.43.
[21]. Mazurek, Justyna, Paweł Kiper, Błażej Cieślik, Sebastian Rutkowski, Krzysztof Mehlich, Andrea Turolla, and
Joanna Szczepańska-Gieracha. “Virtual Reality in Medicine: A Brief Overview and Future Research Directions.”
Human Movement 20, no. 3 (January 1, 2019): 16–22. https://doi.org/10.5114/hm.2019.83529.
[22]. Rajan, Amala, Nasser Nassiri, Vishwesh Akre, Rejitha Ravikumar, Amal Nabeel, Maryam Buti, and Fatima
Salah. “Virtual Reality Gaming Addiction.” The Fifth HCT INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TRENDS (ITT 2018)
(November 1, 2018). https://doi.org/10.1109/ctit.2018.8649547.
[23]. Matthias, Meg. “Why Does AI Art Screw up Hands and Fingers? | Explanation, Tools, & Facts.” Encyclopedia
Britannica. Last modified August 25, 2023. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Why-does-AI-art-screw-up
hands-and-fingers-2230501.
[24]. Morris, Chris. “Mark Zuckerberg’s Metaverse Meltdown: Meta’s Reality Labs Has Lost $21 Billion in Roughly
18 Months.” Fortune, July 27, 2023. https://fortune.com/2023/07/27/metaverse-losses-meta-earnings-q2
2023-mark-zuckerberg/.
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Baniasadi, Tayebeh, Seyed Mohammad Ayyoubzadeh, and Niloofar Mohammadzadeh. “Challenges and Practical Considerations in Applying Virtual Reality in Medical Education and Treatment.” Oman Medical Journal 35, no. 3 (May 15, 2020): e125. https://doi.org/10.5001/omj.2020.43.
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Horesh, Danny, Shaked Kohavi, Limor Shilony-Nalaboff, Naomi Rudich, D. A. Greenman, Joseph S. Feuerstein, and Muhammad Rashid Abbasi. “Virtual Reality Combined with Artificial Intelligence (VR-AI) Reduces Hot Flashes and Improves Psychological Well-Being in Women with Breast and Ovarian Cancer: A Pilot Study.” Healthcare 10, no. 11 (November 11, 2022): 2261. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare10112261.
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Lee, Hyun–Woo, Sang-Hoon Kim, and Jun-Phil Uhm. “Social Virtual Reality (VR) Involvement Affects Depression When Social Connectedness and Self-Esteem Are Low: A Moderated Mediation on Well-Being.” Frontiers in Psychology 12 (November 30, 2021). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.753019.
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SHORT ANSWER ESSAY: "SYNERGY AT CENTENNIAL: IN 500 WORDS OR LESS, CONTEMPLATE THE INTERSECTION OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND THE UNITED NATIONS AS IT CELEBRATES ITS 100TH ANNIVERSARY. ENVISION THE ROLE AL COULD PLAY IN ENHANCING THE UN'S EFFECTIVENESS IN ADDRESSING GLOBAL CHALLENGES, FOSTERING DIPLOMACY, AND PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. PROVIDE SPECIFIC EXAMPLES OF HOW AL APPLICATIONS MIGHT BE INTEGRATED INTO THE UN'S FUNCTIONS, AND DISCUSS THE POTENTIAL BENEFITS AND ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS COLLABORATIVE FUTURE."
Authors: Phan Bảo Đức Phát, Quách Thiên Lạc
Proofreaders: Trần Thanh Hải, Huỳnh Lăng Minh Trị, NEC team 22-23, Mr. Quyết
Mankind has entwined itself in a proverbial Gordian knot of its own making, one requiring more than human intellect to escape from. Notwithstanding such irony, that our brainchild - the two-sided blade named artificial intelligence (AI) - could help us slice through existential threats obstructing our conquest of greatness is an entirely reasonable prospect. Provided the United Nations (UN) knows which side to sharpen or dull, what future could we expect when the organization celebrates its centennial with AI?
Empirically, the UN’s perseverance when facing transformative technologies has engendered harmonic adoptions of increasingly productive innovations. Hence, AI’s rapid emergence as the next catalyst for unprecedented growth calls for equal haste in evaluating it both as an epoch-defining tool and an instrument that disregards ethical standards. Only with proactive governance could greater collaboration be realized for the greater welfare of humanity.
In a world where AI is as ubiquitous as smartphones, global employment rate is expected to increase. This technology's rapid penetration, even in low-income countries, would boost employment prospects, especially for women. Despite potential disruptions in some sectors, the overall impact is positive, fostering skill development and facilitating broader job opportunities. The UN plays a pivotal role in ensuring inclusive digital transformation by enacting laws preventing exploitation and providing guidelines for ethical AI use.
By strategically employing AI, UN agencies like UNCTAD, UNDP, and WHO could leverage technologies such as big data and predictive models to address long-term existential risks. Harnessing AI’s computing prowess, therefore, would accelerate progress towards meeting sustainable development goals.
Nevertheless, the private sector, which is spearheading the industry, when guided by warped incentives, could limit the UN’s capacity to monitor and protect against human rights violations. Prominently, AI’s advancement is anticipated to result in increased wealth concentration, unhindered by the current humanitarian paradigm. Further compounding the issues is the incremental burden that the elderly and those requiring assisted living will shoulder. Thus, the UN must establish fair wealth redistribution principles, necessitating ethical consideration and consensus on transcendent guidelines despite cultural and religious differences.
Furthermore, AI-powered deceptive simulations’ (deepfakes) ability to influence public opinion could undermine the UN's efforts to maintain international security. Such manipulative narratives could profoundly compromise the governance system as trust within and between states is eroded. The UN must prudently navigate this nascent stage of AI, shaping the field’s future trajectory for the common good. Due to its international presence, economically sustainable and culturally inclusive communities could derive much–needed support from the UN’s expertise in incorporating the voices of the global community.
The UN, leading mankind through what could arguably be its most tumultuous decade of existence, would need its entire arsenal to surmount the challenges faced. Wielded strategically, AI, an immensely powerful weapon, could solve multifarious problems currently plaguing the world, while also turbocharging technological and economic growth. It is hoped that by 2045, with the convergence of the UN and AI, humans will be propelled out of the quagmires trapping our advancement towards even greater glory.
🙀 STUNNING!!!!! U deserved it