Amazon launches AR-powered virtual shoe try-on in its iOS app
... In this virtual try-on, customers can simply point their camera at their feet and scroll through a variety of shoes to see how they look from different angles. But, the tool can’t be used to determine shoe size. While the new feature is currently available for iOS customers with an iPhone 7 or newer, Amazon confirmed in its blog post that it will be available for Android customers soon. ...
See the full story here: https://www.theverge.com/2022/6/9/23161127/amazon-augmented-reality-virtual-shoe-try-on
Tribeca Immersive Unveils VR, AR and World’s Biggest Holographic Screen
PhilNote: this is a really nice overview of the offerings at the Tribecca Immersive festival.
... There's even a holographic film showing off a new 65-inch display by Looking Glass Factory for the first time. It takes the pint-sized version CNET last looked at and stretches it out to cinematic scale. ...
Most of Tribeca Immersive is installed at Spring Studios, the festival's central hub. But two in-person pieces take place elsewhere in the city: A VR project called Evolver taking place at a stand-alone space near the southern tip of Manhattan, a project that involves well-known auteurs like director Terrence Malick as a producer and Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood providing music, and a site-specific piece called Mushroom Cloud NYC / Rise you can unlock on a pier on the Hudson River, which incorporates augmented reality and an NFT.
The Spring Studio's main space is where Looking Glass' giant holographic display is screening Zanzibar: Trouble in Paradise, a lusciously shot documentary short about women who farm seaweed on an African island as they grapple with impacts of climate change. ...
See the full story here: https://www.cnet.com/tech/gaming/tribeca-immersive-unveils-vr-ar-and-worlds-biggest-holographic-screen/
Timnit Gebru and the fight to make artificial intelligence work for Africa
The way Timnit Gebru sees it, the foundations of the future are being built now. In Silicon Valley, home to the world’s biggest tech companies, the artificial intelligence(AI) revolution is already well under way. Software is being written and algorithms are being trained that will determine the shape of our lives for decades or even centuries to come. ...
... As she explains it, Dair’s mission is to convince Silicon Valley to take its ethical responsibilities more seriously — but also to persuade leaders in the Global South to make better decisions and to implement proper regulatory frameworks. For instance, Gmail passively scans all emails in Africa for the purposes of targeted advertising, but the European Union has outlawed this to protect their citizens.
“Our governments need to ask better questions,” says Sefala. “If it is about AI for Johannesburg, they should be talking to the researchers here.” ...
See the full story here: https://mg.co.za/africa/2022-06-09-timnit-gebru-and-the-fight-to-make-artificial-intelligence-work-for-africa/
9 Ways Technology Has Changed Entertainment And Leisure
Events
Over the last couple of years, the event industry has had to evolve and adapt to a variety of technological innovations. Due to the rise in virtual events and webinars, there has been a boom in event technology, that allows attendees to participate, communicate, and provide feedback like never before. Moreover, augmented reality and virtual reality have become must-have additions to many events. This means that organisers can customise events to match their audience’s interests.
Drones
The emergence of drone technology has allowed impressive photography and aerial filming to become available. This is because drones are a great way to capture breathtaking views from different angles. They also enable you to reach inaccessible locations and get detailed documentation for various purposes....
Blockchain
Lastly, blockchain technology has lined up to have a positive impact on the entertainment industry in various ways. It has been utilised as an effective digital ledger for safety, security, and transparency. For instance, one way this technology can assist the movie production process is by making dealing with the crew in different locations easier. This will ensure seamless transitions through payments and entertainment agreements between production parties. Alongside this, it can be difficult to track the owner of different types of content, whether that is audio, video, or written, which can result in disputes. However, blockchain could eliminate these concerns by tracking exact information about content and payment.
See the full story here: https://www.techstry.net/9-ways-technology-has-changed-entertainment-and-leisure/
Red 6 completes first multi-aircraft training flight that utilizes Augmented Reality
Red 6, an augmented reality (AR) technology firm that provides applications for military air combat training, has recently announced that it has successfully flown its first multi-aircraft training flight against multiple augmented reality assets.
According to the company, with this successful flight test, Red 6 was able to connect multiple live aircraft into one common AR environment, outdoors and up in the sky, marking a significant technical milestone for the company. Ultimately, Red 6 is hoping to usher in a new frontier of AR-based combat training for fighter pilots. ...
The flights expand upon Red 6’s live dogfight against an AI-driven virtual aircraft two years ago. The flight showcased the display and control systems needed to bring AR into the real world, while simultaneously integrating tactical AI into the Red 6 system. ...
See the full story here: https://www.auganix.org/red-6-completes-first-multi-aircraft-training-flight-that-utilizes-augmented-reality/
AI Ethics Are in Danger. Funding Independent Research Could Help
... Undergirding the effort to develop “responsible” or “safe” AI implies that AI is inevitable; that to create new technology, we need AI. These companies imply that AI must be a critical part of working out the inefficiencies of a global economy—it is the only vector of progress. Moreover, using the language of responsibility allows companies to acknowledge that potential harms exist, but without real accountability to those who are harmed. ...
1. Does this project put more resources into data collection and reinforce existing centers of technological power? ...
2. What is the composition of this research team? ...
3. How are resources being distributed among people affected by these technologies, and what kinds of knowledge does this privilege? ...
4. Does AI need to be part of the solution here? ...
See the full story here: https://ssir.org/articles/entry/ai_ethics_are_in_danger_funding_independent_research_could_help
Axon’s AI ethics board resign after TASER drone announcement
“We have elected to publicly engage communities and stakeholders, and develop a remotely operated, non-lethal drone system that we believe will be a more effective, immediate, humane, and ethical option to protect innocent people,” Smith explained.
The TASER drone system would use real-time security feeds supplied through a partnership with Fusus. ...
Nine out of 12 members of Azon’s AI ethics board resigned following the announcement and issued a statement explaining their decision. ...
The board members go on to explain how they’ve been firm against Axon playing a role in supplying real-time, persistent surveillance capabilities that “undoubtedly will harm communities of color and others who are overpoliced, and likely well beyond that.” ...
“The Taser-equipped drone also has no realistic chance of solving the mass shooting problem Axon now is prescribing it for, only distracting society from real solutions to a tragic problem.” ...
See the full story here: https://www.artificialintelligence-news.com/2022/06/07/axon-ai-ethics-board-resign-taser-drone-announcement/
