The existence of virtual reality, or VR, has long been well known by the public. However with any newer, strange technology, the applications of it are still being molded and discovered all around the world. This only gets more mysterious as Artificial Intelligence becomes more common and experimented with in everyday life, and the worlds of AI and VR become intertwined.

Whereas in the past we may have primarily associated VR with video games, military and flight simulations, it has now found its place in several other professional and recreational activities. Some of those use AI algorithms and programs to operate and increase user experiences, flowing over into the workplace.

Virtual Office Spaces

Do you remember playing The Sims? There are actual companies that use a similar format for their work days — virtual office spaces, if you will. They have meetings, conferences, and interactions across this digital office space.

Additionally, within some of these meetings, some programs allow you to share data and edit it as if it was physically there. We’ve covered LookVR before and how you can edit and change graphs and data as if these visual representations were tangible items for you to shape using their virtual headset. Well, for similar purpose, companies like Virtualitics are collaborating with companies like NASA to create these kinds of analytics programs that work with AI and machine learning.

In short, your virtual “day at the office” is becoming more and more of a reality and it’s being informed by machine learning to better cater to your workplace needs.

Simulations for Days

VR simulations in the past was typically used for military, video game, and aviation purposes as well, of course (Microsoft Flight Simulator anyone?). But now, that technology has reached other fields of work, and machine learning has only propelled simulations to become better teachers.

Medical professionals are using simulations to practice before surgery. Studies have shown the effectiveness of virtual simulation in training and practice, improving treatment and decreasing surgical mistakes. On the other end of the medical spectrum, furniture companies are reportedly testing operating room furniture virtually before wasting resources on mistakes by manufacturing products that won’t be effective or usable.

The use of machine learning with these tools could lead to amazing results. With the correct programming, medical simulations will learn to become more and more realistic. Unexpected problems in a simulated surgery could come up in real life, and thus a doctor could be more prepared for a freak accident or random mishap on the operating table.

Digital Media

In what may be the oddest example of VR, The New York Times recently created a VR newspaper. That’s right, you can use buttons to flip the pages of a virtual newspaper using VR, rather than buying a physical newspaper and flipping those pages with your fingers. Whether this is to reduce paper waste or just get the newspaper to more people, they did it, and one may wonder how the digital world will ultimately affect paper media in the future. It may be hard to imagine other magazines and newspapers moving to this format, but one never knows.

With the conjunctions of AI and VR we’ve seen thus far however, imagine if machine learning could start to predict design trends in something like a VR newspaper? Or a magazine? It seems completely possible that machine learning could predict market trends in print design through these VR publications, especially once their algorithms start to keep track of sales in addition to commonly used visual trends over time. This will take a while to see however.

How do you think AI will influence and change the use of VR in the future?Let us know in the comments below!

About the Author

Avery Phillips is a freelance human based out of the beautiful Treasure Valley. She loves all things in nature, especially humans. Leave a comment down below or tweet her @a_taylorian with any questions or comments.

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