News
Teaching AI to translate 100s of spoken and written languages in real time
Removing the barrier of language will fundamentally change the world. This work to create a universal translator builds off more than a decade of work and tests in automatic translation on Facebook, and if successful breaks down a human limitation that has prevented people from communicating for thousands of years only overcome by using an interpreter.
The In-World Builder is Now Open to Everyone! // Decentraland
We didn't think it was a good idea to lock access to building tools to purchasing land, but recently Decentraland has changed this policy and everyone can now use the In-World Builder. This will open the already large community to an even greater influx of creative and talented individuals, improving the world by having more models and environments to explore.
Experiences
The Twilight Zone VR
Currently in a beta (but you can apply here) this looks to be an interesting use of the IP to allow people the chance to enter classic stories and hopefully a few new ones in time. The company working with CBS to bring this to life have a decent record of creating VR experiences, so we're feeling hopeful about this being a faithful re-imagining of the tales for an interactive VR audience.
Event
VR Awards 2022 - Celebrating Outstanding Achievement in Virtual Reality // AIXR
The Academy of International Extended Reality (AIXR) will be holding their 6th annual VR Awards ceremony this November 3rd in London, UK. With international travel continuing to open up again this may be one event you should consider if you miss rubbing elbows with some of the most innovative companies, educators, and thought leaders working in VR and XR.
Reading
The Case for Real Time Voice Chat Moderation Technology in the Metaverse // Speechly
In the wake of recent attention around harassment (both verbally offensive language and virtual groping) within VR companies have a real incentive to add more robust moderation into their platforms. This article describes the complexities in doing this well and also how AI could be a large part of the eventual solution.
Research
Conversations between self and self as Sigmund Freud—A virtual body ownership paradigm for self counselling // Nature
This research, completed back in 2015, is one that is cited widely but may not have been something you've read for yourself to appreciate what the team found when putting individuals in the position of patient and therapist for themselves. This work shed light on how we embody avatars and changes in perspective can benefit us in moving beyond issues we didn't think we could manage.
One More Thing
China Has Pioneered a Law To Empower People Over Algorithms // OneZero
In a move some would consider uncharacteristic of the Chinese government, March 1st a series of laws went into effect that require technology companies to provide features to its customers to disable algorithms or AI that would influence them or the content they consume. As we live in a global market and these laws will eventually effect more than China-based companies. We imagine laws being enacted globally that follow these, and will have significant effects on what companies are allowed to do to keep people engaged online.
Commentary
VR growth is now being measured in the millions with social experiences like RecRoom announcing 3 million monthly users and experiences sold across multiple platforms. Growth of this kind will attract all kinds of people with varying motives, and inevitably some of them will misbehave. The challenge faced by every company contributing to the emerging Metaverse is how to protect privacy, safety, and maintain open channels of communication.
The biggest challenge is doing this at scale.
Overseeing 3 people can be done with 3 moderators (which is overkill but works for this analogy). When responsible for overseeing 40 million people a month who log in at different times on random days who don't all speak the same language the real complexity of safety can be appreciated.
In this issue we highlight some of the advances happening globally that will contribute to protecting everyone online while also making communication across languages and cultures transparent. That may sound like very lofty ideals, but take a look at this week's links and if you still feel the same let us know.
Thank you for reading and subscribing, and we'll see you next week!
— Other Realities Directory | Other Realities Journal | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube —
Other Realities