e466 — AI’s Perfect Vacation | Games At Work dot Biz

view of a terrace for two overlooking a bay with a sunset in the distance - Photo by H Fall on Unsplash — Photo by H Fall on Unsplash

Published 20 May 2024

Michael and Michael teleport into the virtual studio to talk tech. In this episode, the team talks about the latest AI stories, Andy’s Apple Vision Pro experience, and recent announcements from Google I/O.

Michael and Michael start off with the concept of synthetic humans, as a way to more rapidly address the need for quality user research in a speedy and cost effective manner. While the ability of generative AI to create personas with full backstories provides an accelerated way to evaluate a new product or service, Michael R’s attention is drawn to the idea that these synthetic humans can have ‘secrets’ that will influence their reactions. Next up is yet another story from the world of dating, though this time, it’s all about establishing a digital twin that will go on virtual dates with other people’s digital twins. During show notes writing time, this reminded Michael M of Felicia Day’s song, “Do You Wanna Date My Avatar?”. Then, an example of machine learning decoding the sperm whale phonetic alphabet.

Andy takes a moment to share his experiences with the Apple Vision Pro. After Andy’s drop in segment, Michael and Michael discuss a set of new accessibility features, including those to help iPhone and iPad users combat motion sickness. After touching on a couple of augmented reality stories, the co-hosts turn to all things Google.

There were many announcements at Google I/O. Michael R focused on phone scam detection and vacation itinerary generation. Michael M took a look at Music FX to generate songs.

The team wraps up this week’s episode with a LEGO Barad-Dûr and drones that recharge by landing on power lines.

What future do you see for synthetic humans for user research or dating? Have your bots 🤖 drop our bots 🤖 a line at @gamesatwork_biz (our home for now) and let us know!