philip lelyveld The world of entertainment technology

Cedars-Sinai launches AI division

The Department of Medicine at Cedars-Sinai has created a division to explore artificial intelligence's applications in healthcare.

The division, called Artificial Intelligence in Medicine, is led by Sumeet Chugh, MD, an associate director at Cedars-Sinai's Smidt Heart Institute, the Los Angeles-based health system said March 1.

"Dr. Chugh has extensive experience using artificial intelligence to solve clinical problems for sudden cardiac arrest, one of our most difficult conditions," Shlomo Melmed, Cedars-Sinai's executive vice president of academic affairs and dean of medical faculty, said in a news release. "Under his leadership, the new division will harness the Cedars-Sinai systemwide clinical data warehouse to design clinically relevant approaches to solving important health questions."

The division is currently focusing on cardiac imaging, sudden cardiac arrest, COVID-19 and clinical genetics. Dr. Chugh said he hopes the division will explore a wider range of medical, surgical and public health issues in the coming years.

See the full story here: https://www.beckershospitalreview.com/innovation/cedars-sinai-launches-ai-division.html

‘Walkabout Mini Golf’ is Getting First Licensed Course, Based on ’80s Classic ‘LABYRINTH’

Walkabout Mini Golf (2020) consistently ranks among the top games on Quest for good reason. Now developers Mighty Coconut announced they’ve lined up the game’s first licensed DLC for release later this year which is set to bring the world of Jim Henson’s ’80s classic fantasy film LABYRINTH (1986) to life.

Mighty Coconut announced the studio has signed a deal with The Jim Henson Company to develop a 36-hole course based on LABYRINTH, which will be released in Summer 2022.

There’s no trailer out yet, but we’re hoping to see more than a few of our favorite characters. Granted, David Bowie has already been officially immortalized in VR, but never before as Jareth the Goblin King—glam metal hair and all.

See the full story here: https://www.virtualrealitypulse.com/edition/daily-sony-amazon-2022-03-02?open-article-id=21212540&article-title=-walkabout-mini-golf--is-getting-first-licensed-course--based-on--80s-classic--labyrinth-&blog-domain=roadtovr.com&blog-title=road-to-vr

How virtual reality is being implemented in the travel industry

... users are increasingly interested in experiencing digital forms of in-person activities, which can include virtual tours, streaming, digital concerts, and even online gambling. For instance, users can now access online casinos where they can play live blackjack, which has been developed to be as immersive as possible.  ...

... several platforms offer VR experiences that can take you around the globe and inside some of the most famous landmarks. One of these platforms is Superworld, which mixes the tourism and real estate sector, and lets users not only virtually visit landmarks across the world, but also purchase and sell historical monuments and iconic structures inside the metaverse.  ...

Additionally, some cultural institutions, such as museums, feature exclusive online collections and VR tours inside their galleries. One of the best examples is Louvre’s virtual tours which feature immersive and user-friendly digital cultural experiences. It is also possible to use Google Earth VR to access more than 18,000 artworks for free. ...

See the full story here: https://www.traveldailynews.com/post/how-virtual-reality-is-being-implemented-in-the-travel-industry

ETC Examines Realities of Multiverse at Digital Town Square

“Preparing for the Multiverse” was the subject of ETC@USC’s latest virtual Digital Town Square event. As the culture, art and commerce spaces rebalance to incorporate blended physical and virtual options, it is clearly important that we understand early on how changes will impact our business and creative endeavors. 

All of the presentation videos, along with information about the speakers and 2-minute previews of their talks, are available on the ETCentric site. In keeping with ETC’s mandate to be an educational resource for the community, we encourage you to share this information with co-workers, friends and colleagues.

See the full story here: https://www.etcentric.org/etc-examines-realities-of-multiverse-at-digital-town-square/

Megan Thee Stallion Launches ‘First-Ever’ Virtual Reality Concert Tour

A Megan Thee Stallion concert is coming to Los Angeles, but the Grammy-winning rapper won’t be at the show — at least not physically. 

On Monday, Megan announced the launch of a virtual reality concert “tour” that will allow fans in 10 U.S. cities to gather in movie theaters, strap on VR headsets and watch the rapper perform a pre-recorded set. The tour—dubbed “Enter Thee Hottieverse”—is produced by AmazeVR, a West Hollywood virtual reality startup that recently raised $15 million to bring VR concerts to music fans.

Virtual reality concerts have grown in popularity during the pandemic and are emerging as a metaverse-related business opportunity. But whereas other VR shows let fans watch from home, Megan and AmazeVR are betting that fans will want to gather at the same place to share a virtual experience. The startup claims the shows mark the “first-ever” VR concert tour. ...

... the firm films 3D, live-action videos of artists like Megan and inserts them in computer-generated worlds post-production. ...

Cognizant of the ongoing pandemic, AmazeVR said both its VR headsets and the movie theaters will be sanitized before and after each of Megan’s shows. In Los Angeles, the tour runs April 5-10 at the AMC The Grove 14 movie theater, with subsequent dates in San Francisco, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Miami, Charlotte, Washington D.C. and New York.

See the full story here: https://dot.la/megan-thee-stallion-virtual-reality-2656808373.html

Crypto Network Promises Hack-Proof History of Ukraine Attack

... Williams, 29, dropped out of the computer science doctoral program at the University of Kent in England to start Arve in 2017. After studying a period like Nazi Germany, he wanted to create a platform for permanent historical records that could not be edited.

“One of the most important things dictators try to do is control the space of information,” he said.

The immutability of the distributed, digital laser, known as the blockchain, appealed to Williams. He said Arweave is “blockchain-like”, but uses a structure called blockwave that is better for storing large files such as videos and documents. ...

“Lasers replicate information from hundreds of different locations around the world, not thousands,” he said, without specifying exactly how many computers have Arweave data stored on them.

Network users known as miners receive Arweave crypto tokens that can be exchanged for cash using their computer to store data. ...

See the full story here: https://www.anandmarket.in/crypto-network-promises-hack-proof-history-of-ukraine-attack/

Creative Control – YOU NEED TO WATCH THE MOST FASCINATING SCI-FI MOVIE ABOUT AUGMENTED REALITY ON AMAZON PRIME

Anyone looking to avoid a movie about insufferable people could easily stay away from Creative Control, but the movie is more than that. It’s working on themes that would later be fully realized in the Safdie brothers’ ecstatic Uncut Gems, most notably a conversation about the suffering needed to create the technologies that people take for granted.

But while Creative Control’s characters are hollow shells, the movie itself is earnestly interested in their fates. Technology can spin out universes all of its own, and it’s easier than ever to get wrapped inside them. Creative Control asks if people can pull themselves back once they’ve gotten sucked in.

See the full story here: https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/sci-fi-movies-february-2022-amazon-prime-creative-control

AI in gaming, media and entertainment industries to take centerstage as future technologies emerge

Key takeaways:

1. Content engagement is no longer a commercial paradigm; it is evolving into a social paradigm. Revenue from online and gaming will grow in the years to come; with entertainment moving from a linear channel to OTT platforms, everyone now has the power to create content.  
2. Five years ago, cookies allowed businesses to exchange marketing metrics from Facebook and YouTube advertising. However, with the degradation of cookies in recent years, enterprises are turning back to probability approaches.
3. Acquisition and retention are the two crucial grids of marketing. Retention is less expensive; however, if you cannot retain your existing customers, you will have to spend more on new ones. 
4. Diversity and Equality in gaming: It’s crucial to contribute to the communities that never got the chance to express themselves in the gaming space. 
5. AI in Media & Entertainment: The Future of TV: Content engagement relies on both implicit and explicit signals from the audience. Eliminating clustering in algorithms is critical for personal recommendation.  
6. Data Privacy: Data collection in gaming, media and entertainment businesses are crucial, and privacy is the intersection of data. When we drill down Data Privacy, we comprehend that knowledge accompanies reasonability. 
7. While reactive and proactive ML tools help establish a robust defense against toxic conduct, players have to look out for one another to protect the community.  
8. The Metaverse today is a virtual room primarily developed for interaction and communication. It is a leap, just like gaming and cloud, and we are all early adopters.

See the full story here: https://www.animationxpress.com/games/ai-in-gaming-media-entertainment-industries-to-take-centerstage-as-future-technologies-emerge/

Israel Reveals Military’s Artificial Intelligence Strategy

A senior Israel Defense Forces official, whose name could not be used due to the sensitivity of their position, noted that the IDF is undergoing a digital transformation in dealing with AI in all its branches and the commands. This will be the first time the IDF has a multi-branch and multi-command plan for use of AI.

For the IDF, the strategy is part of a belief that data and AI has a major role for winning future conflicts, processing the vast amount of data being generated by various sensors, transforming it into intelligible information and delivering it where it needs to go.

Reports indicate artificial intelligence played a key role in the Israel conflict with Hamas in Gaza in May 2021, and artificial intelligence is increasingly being incorporated into systems developed by Israeli defense companies, such as rifles, bombs and other systems, meaning the IDF now has an increasing array of platforms that use AI. ...

The IDF opted to release an unclassified version to foster engagement with its partners. ...

See the full story here: https://www.bollyinside.com/news/israel-reveals-militarys-artificial-intelligence-strategy

Meta Dissolves VR and AR Operating System Team Consisting of 300 Employees

According to new reports, the tech giant has disbanded the team behind the long-rumored XROS, instead moving over to other neighboring teams to help out on other related tech, including Meta’s AR glasses, its Quest headsets, and various features such as eye and hand tracking as well as machine perception.

The change in direction probably doesn’t come as a surprise to those following Meta’s progress. Back in January, rumors surfaced suggesting that the company had ceased almost all work on the XROS, shifting its focus to improving the Quest 2’s Android-based VROS instead. ...

See the full story here: https://hypebeast.com/2022/2/meta-virtual-augmented-reality-operating-system-team-dissolved