VR and AI (virtual reality and artificial reality) are not new inventions. VR uses technology to create simulated environments into which we can immerse ourselves, whereas AI seeks to empower technical gadgets with the understanding and awareness of a responsive creature. Recently, significant improvements have been made to enhance VR and AI and integrate them to develop a unified type of technology with virtually limitless possibilities. Both VR and AI have a growing market; a Grand View Research study claims that by 2025, "the worldwide artificial intelligence market size is estimated to reach USD 390.9 billion." Between 2019 and 2025, the market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 46.2 percent.

Despite some promising numbers, we still can't be sure whether VR will reach mass consumer adoption within the next few years, or if it risks falling off yet again. If VR does seem to be hitting its big stride, what content should we expect to see? To hazard a guess, let's quickly review the timeline of virtual reality. As early as 1929, Link Trainer, a flight simulator, was built for safely training WWII pilots. In 1989, NASA applied that idea to space.

Technology is the wave of the future, and considering all the technological advances that are taking place at such a rapid pace, it's safe to say that the wave of the future is definitely here. Technology touches our lives on a constant basis; we've become so reliant on it as a society that it's almost impossible to imagine what life would be like without it. Looking toward the future, the global society is only going to become more reliant on technology, as more and more advances are introduced on a seemingly daily basis. Technological devices have certainly provided us with numerous benefits, and it's exciting to think about what other devices and applications we'll be introduced to and how they'll improve our lives even more in the coming years. We're already seeing the next phase of technological development, and that phase is convergence.

Imagine the first day of your next job. You've never visited the office before or sat down with anyone from the company in person. In fact, the first person you meet face-to-face is the security guard, who hands you your building pass at reception. However, even though you've never been here before, you make your way to your desk, and see familiar faces and spaces. You wave hello to your manager, sit down at your desk, and begin work like you've been with the company for years.

A growing number of daily-life activities are surreptitiously outsourced to intelligent systems, powered by the latest advancements in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI): from smart spam filters (e.g., Gmail) and online shopping recommendations (e.g., Amazon), to ride-sharing applications (e.g., Uber) and smart personal assistants (e.g., Alexa); a great deal of daily chores are streamlined by AI. In other words, we have already begun to trust AI in making decisions on our behalf about whose messages we receive, from whom we buy, with whom we share a ride, and even from where we inform ourselves. In fact, AI is set to automate increasingly fundamental daily-life facets, such as commuting (i.e., autonomous driving), and even law enforcement (e.g., “coplink”).Consequently, the deeper AI weaves itself into the fabric of our societies, the greater the volume of training datasets that are required, and the more diverse and multidimensional they must be. However, certain training datasets are not immediately available; plus they have to be collected in an ecologically-valid fashion. For example, achieving fully autonomous driving (level 5), inevitably assumes the capacity of AI to perform ethical decision-making (i.e., The “Trolley Dilemma”). Data on ethical decision-making is scarce, and cannot simply be aggregated in an ecologically-valid manner by traditional means (e.g., surveys).Virtual Reality (VR) emerges as a viable alternative for amassing diverse datasets for tra...

London-based Somewhere Else is taking on this challenge with it's VR and AI powered BODYSWAPS, with their stated aim of supporting L&D and HR leaders to empower their employees to become the best versions of themselves, faster and safely, improving organisational performance, fostering a better company culture, and delivering tangible operational value. BODYSWAPS is simple to use: just put on the headset, pick up the controllers, and run through a brief calibration. Then it's time to meet the new you, read up on the scenario you are in, and bring in your virtual, AI-powered colleague to talk to. Answer them as you would a real person, with the same attitude and hand gestures that you would in real life, and after switching positions to see your answer from their perspective, you will be presented with behavioral and semantics analytics and get personalised tips on how to improve in future - more energy in your attitude, less pointing and throwing your mug at people. Although the platform uses AI, the'people' you talk to are voiced by professional actors using SME-written scripts to better immerse you in the realism.

We are on the cusp of a massive shift in how technology impacts the way we live, work, and play. Big business disruption is coming, and at the heart of it will be virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI). Plucky startups and established companies alike are looking to tap into these most exciting emerging markets – markets that are likely to make the introduction of the iPhone less than a decade ago seem small-time. This juggernaut of technological innovation is hurtling towards us at a rate of knots. And businesses need to be ready to keep pace, or risk being left in the dust.

A screen shows information on 5G during a keynote address by CEO of Huawei Consumer Business Group Richard Yu at CES 2017 at The Venetian Las Vegas on January 5, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. CES, the world's largest annual consumer technology trade show, runs through January 8 and features 3,800 exhibitors showing off their latest products and services to more than 165,000 attendees. Every product in today's social media-driven world is, in a sense, overhyped. But even taking that into consideration, consumer electronics probably take the cake for most shameless overpromising, and none more than the brouhaha surrounding AI and VR the past couple of years. Every commercial for VR headsets, whether it's by LG or Samsung or Sony, want you to believe that putting on the device is to step into a truly immersive experience, except no, the pixels are clearly visible, there's a bit of lag, and the headsets are not comfortable to wear more than 15 to 20 minutes at a time.

Anyone who has access to the Internet has certainly encountered all of the buzz and hype surrounding virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI). Everything's becoming digitized as we become consumed by new innovations more than ever before, leading many brands to feel overwhelmed to keep up and stand out. What does this exactly mean for brands and marketers? The penetration of breakthrough technological advances like IoT, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality has given way for marketers to approach elements in their marketing stack in a new and innovative way. New capabilities open up the opportunity for brands to reach their target market and provide experiences like never before.

Anyone who has access to the Internet has certainly encountered all of the buzz and hype surrounding virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI). Everything's becoming digitized as we become consumed by new innovations more than ever before, leading many brands to feel overwhelmed to keep up and stand out. What does this exactly mean for brands and marketers? The penetration of breakthrough technological advances like IoT, artificial intelligence, and virtual reality has given way for marketers to approach elements in their marketing stack in a new and innovative way. New capabilities open up the opportunity for brands to reach their target market and provide experiences like never before.