Artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual reality (VR) are set to increase in popularity despite ongoing turbulent times for the Metaverse. Although the two emerging technologies differ, they work together to deepen connections between human beings and the digital world.
Virtual reality combines hardware and software to immerse users in digital environments for numerous use cases, including learning, entertainment, therapy, and others. Conversely, artificial intelligence backs the creation of technological advancements that can analyse, respond, and create based on data sources.
As tech companies continue to invest in new applications and use cases for VR and AI, the two technologies are working more closely together. Across the industry, tech firms are incorporating artificial intelligence to boost computer vision. The latter aims to sense the actions and movements of a person in a physical or virtual space. By doing so, AI significantly accelerates the processing of these complex motions and analytics.
Blending VR and AI in the New World
For example, the travel, tourism, and healthcare sectors have leveraged AI virtual assistants to guide people in virtual environments. Dubai's Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) began including virtual and real assistants on its metaverse healthcare portal. Visitors to the immersive space can receive medical attention, advice, and documentation in real-time with the help of real staff and virtual, AI-powered chatbots.
In travel and tourism, numerous countries have also opened national metaverse portals with AI-assisted chats to communicate with users. People seeking visas, passport renewals, and updated country info can use cross-platform tools to receive key information and documents for their travels.
Across retail, VR is also providing new ways to enhance the customer experience. Shoppers can use AR try-on technologies to test clothing before visiting physical stores, significantly reducing returns. Firms such as Reactive Reality allow retail firms to avoid overproduction and meet sustainable development goals (SDGs).
This also applies to companies like IKEA and Amazon, where customers can superimpose virtual furniture, electronics, and clothing stocks in physical locations. This also allows the two companies to streamline their stocks by limiting returns and accommodating customer needs with exact measurements.
With AI included, the retail experience can also suggest other similar products to complement purchases.
Making VR More Intelligent
In addition to empowering brand-customer relationships, artificial intelligence and virtual reality can also boost collaboration and human-computer interfacing (HCI). This provides a qualitative leap in performance for virtual experiences and deepens collaboration for remote workforces.
