5 trends in XR and AI Marketing for 2023

Recent panic attacks were triggered by an existential crisis. This is the first time I’ve ever felt so overwhelmed by excitement and anxiety over technology advances. I had to take a break. The AI-induced anxiety I experienced during my recent visit to Augmented Word Expo, the world’s biggest extended reality conference, was triggered by my recent trip. I was able to experience the latest AI enabled tools and technologies which will change the way we interact with our environment.

AI will have a greater impact than the internet in our personal and professional lives. It is a disruptive force that can disrupt us like a train on rogue. This rapid pace of change can make us fearful, but it can also inspire wonder and awe when we think about a world where our greatest challenges are solved. We as a society need to collectively press the pause button to figure out ethically how to harness technology.

It’s a pleasure to say that groups like gatherVerse are actively having these difficult conversations. While I wait, I take some deep breaths, and focus on the positive aspects of these tools, and how they help us become better communicators.

The top five artificial Intelligence (AI), and Extended Reality (XR), takeaways for AWE 2023.

1. The AI will do it!

AI advancements are amazing. Nearly overnight, I was able to teach most of my communication students using tools. We must learn to understand, accept and use these tools ethically.

It is nearly impossible to keep up with all of these tools. A website powered by AI (ha!) is a solution. Now, all of these tools are categorized and aggregated to show the true impact of the AI tsunami. There’s an AI for That contains AI tools that cover everything from virtual CMOs to finding a soulmate AI. Think of social media management, email campaigns, marketing briefs and content.

I’ve tested many of these tools, and their capabilities are impressive. You can create, design, write the copy, optimize, and publish a website with a blog within two hours using the right tools. In my monthly XR/AI marketing brief, I have been writing about these powerful tools.

The true power of these tools lies in their ability to scale up personalization. It’s not just about changing images on a page depending on the user’s past purchases. In the future, everyone will have an AI assistant trained to their specific needs, learning styles and preferences.

Monica Ares presented the most inspirational session at AWE in this year’s AWE. She was head of immersive learning for Meta. She skillfully explained the true potential for AI to impact our learning, teaching and education. Her entire presentation is available on AWE’s YouTube Channel. It’s not one to miss.

One of the most popular apps at AWE, Wol, is a great example of personalized learning. The project is a talking owl with AI that provides an educational and entertaining presentation. Wol is accessible via Meta’s Quest Pro headset and Meta Quest 2 devices, as well as iOS and Android smartphones. AI-enabled character will allow audiences to become active participants and not passive consumers.

You can learn more about Wol on a href=”https://nianticlabs.com/news/meetwol?hl=en” rel=”noreferrer noopener” target=”_blank”>Niantic’s website/a> and try it at a href=”https://meetwol.com/” rel=”noreferrer noopener”, target=”_blank”,>meetwol.com/a>me/a>me Learn more about Wol at Niantic’s website, and test it out at Meetwol.com.

Dig deeper: XR + AI: 5 tools driving today’s content revolution

2. Soon, you will be able to interact with AI.

That’s right. Soon, you will be faced with the existential dilemma of how to live if you can be at two places simultaneously. Celebrities have already begun selling their AI-enabled images to studios and brands, allowing them more work while making money.

The rich and famous won’t have to pay a fortune for these AI doubles. With enough money, those with the means can create AI versions of themselves who can attend virtual meetings, respond to emails and write them, participate in virtual conferences, and star in social media updates. I admit I would like to have an AI version of me who could teach my online spin class in the morning. Why not? I have a lot of videos, playlists, and other data which could teach it to be a better spin instructor than me.

There’s an AI that can help you create your own AI double! Olivier Moingeon is the founder and COO at Exclusible XR Agency. He’s working on a company that will help you create an AI double. Doppl.ai, which is still in development, will be available to those who join the waiting list.

Moingeon spoke about Doppl, his Hugo Boss Metaverse Quest and the XR pub crawl for marketing and communication. You can view the interview in its entirety on my YouTube channel. Moingeon is scheduled to return to the XR Pub Crawl this fall, once Doppl.ai launches.

3. Simple 3D content

The hottest thing in our industry is the new generation of AI. It’s a big deal. In just seconds, anyone can create stunning images, videos and articles. They can also create 3D worlds, products, and 3D environments. About 80% of the creative agencies use these capabilities, which are reversing the old copyrighted model.

AI-generated images are not protected under U.S. copyright law, so anyone could use them if they use an application like Midjourney. We’re not close to a final ruling on these issues. The court rulings are constantly changing. Read Built In’s AI Generated Content and Copyright Law : What We Know for a nuanced view on AI and copyright law.

There are many cool tools that can help us create 3D material. Curie uses AI to quickly and inexpensively convert 2D images into 3D content. The company creates libraries of 3D items for brands like New Balance, Adidas Vans, Gucci, and others. The website boasts a 80% reduction in the production time of your 3D assets, and a 94% increase in conversion rate. After a customer engages with your 3D product, you can expect to see sales. Visit their website to get more information and request a demonstration.

EyeJack can be a good option if you want to create 3D content in a creative way. EyeJack’s founders are behind the award-winning AR experience Breonna’s Garden. It is my favorite AR experience. Artists can use plug-and play tools to bring their 3D artworks to life. The combination of immersive 3D moving art and audio creates a memorable experience.

EyeJack X is their newest product, a platform for XR that allows creators to share, create and sell XR content. These cube-shaped 3D interactive platforms can be easily updated with new content. They are also able to be used as AR content either in the real world, or in a fully immersive VR world.

4. Hardware goes beyond the headset slump

The question of how all this AI enabled 3D content is consumed remains an open one, since headset sales have been a dismal disappointment for those who want VR to become mainstream. We know that current headsets are too heavy and block the real world, so they won’t cause any accidents.

This is about to change. Apple’s announcement about their spatial OS Vision Pro gave a glimpse into a future in which a headset, or AR glasses, can enable users to interact with 3D content, and see the world. The mixed-reality headgear, which analysts have hailed for years as the holy grail, is finally here. Apple’s AR headgear is not going to be mainstream. However, I trust Apple to test quickly and learn, and eventually bring eyewear to the market for the masses.

Many start-ups are developing compelling hardware prototypes. The AR Laptop is one of the most promising, and I was able to demo it at AWE. This new laptop is a partnership between XREAL AR Glasses and Sightful. Users can simply put on lightweight glasses to be immersed in 3D virtual desktops with multiple screens and windows. You’ve always wanted to travel with a double-monitor setup? For $2,000 you can now travel with your double-monitor desktop setup.

This first version of Apple’s AR laptop, like Apple’s AR glass, isn’t quite ready, but it’s an important step in hardware, which will support 3D content and computing.

5. Immersive ad units enable scaling of XR experiences

You no longer need to limit your paid media campaigns and programmatic advertising to boring 2D videos, or worse, images. You can create interactive and entertaining ad units with the help of platforms such as Undertone.

The example for Target above shows how audio and simple interaction can create an immersive and engaging experience on a smartphone. Undertone offers a creative team that works with brands to create these experiences, and a network of syndication that helps them be amplified by paid media. Super clever!

You can also build fun and immersive experiences using social networks and gaming platforms. Snapchat is the perfect place to begin if you want to engage 15 to 25 year olds, and are new to using XR. According to , Hootsuite, the most popular Snapchat age group is 15-25-year-olds, who make up about half of all Snapchat users.

Snapchat’s Advertiser Offerings were impressive, and the AR Mirror engaged attendees on site at AWE. Snapchat’s studio offers brands a turnkey global solution to create engaging AR mobile experiences. This can be used by millions users around the world.

Connecting with your audience using XR

Are you as excited and terrified as I am by the future of marketing, communications and media? You are not alone in this journey.

I would like to remind everyone that the AI version of me is more intelligent than myself.

Great things are not done by one individual. “They’re done by teams of people.” — Steve Jobs

Top five XR and AI Marketing Trends in 2023 was first published on MarTech.