AI XR Podcast

Kent Bye—host of the Voices of VR podcast and one of XR's most prolific journalists with over 1,680 published interviews—joins Charlie and Ted for a wide ranging conversation on the state of immersive storytelling, the ethics of AI, and why XR's future might be less about consumer headsets and more about embodied presence and human connection. Kent's decade-long commitment to documenting artists, creators, and developers at the ground level offers a counterpoint to hype-driven tech coverage, revealing the messy, vital ecosystem sustaining VR through festival circuits, location-based entertainment, and government-funded experimental projects that rarely make headlines.The conversation opens with Jeff Bezos's new AI robotics company Prometheus, Amazon's one-to-one human-robot workforce parity, and the implications of industrial AI automation. Ted shares his recent appearance on cinematographer Roger Deakins's podcast, where they discussed AI as a creative tool rather than a threat—a perspective Kent echoes when discussing artists who use AI to critique AI's "colonizing force." Kent explains his philosophy of "boots on the ground" journalism inspired by Knight Ridder's Iraq War reporting, focusing on developers and creators closest to the work rather than corporate press releases.Kent reveals why he's been lukewarm on smart glasses despite industry excitement—monocular displays give him headaches, his prescription is too strong for current hardware, and most importantly, there's no compelling narrative content yet. He contrasts this with VR's rich immersive storytelling at festivals like Venice Immersive, Sundance New Frontier, IDFA DocLab, and Tribeca, where government-funded European projects push the medium's boundaries in ways U.S. startups can't afford to explore. The discussion touches on Meta's Ray-Ban AI glasses, the impracticality of Meta's neural band input, and why Snap's developer platform remains the most interesting AR ecosystem despite limited consumer traction.Guest HighlightsPublished 1,682 VR interviews with 1,000+ unpublished; focused on artists, creators, and developers over corporate narratives.Covers 30+ hours of immersive content per festival at Venice, Sundance, IDFA DocLab—documenting ephemeral art that may never distribute widely.Started in 2014 after buying Oculus DK1; began by capturing oral history at Silicon Valley VR Conference's first gathering.Background as F-22 Raptor radar systems engineer turned documentary filmmaker—blends hardcore technical knowledge with artistic sensibility.Advocates for XR as antidote to smartphone addiction—technologies that foster embodied presence rather than infinite distraction.News HighlightsJeff Bezos launches Prometheus AI robotics company—focusing on industrial applications where enterprise adoption will drive innovation faster than consumer markets.Amazon hits one-to-one human-robot workforce parity—roughly 1 million humans, 1 million robots, with plans to shed 100K+ workers over five years.Warner Brothers settles with AI music company Udio—following Axel Springer, AP, and Fox licensing deals as New York Times litigation drags on.Enterprise AI startups raise massive rounds—Stut (collections automation, $29.5M from Andreessen), Albatross (real-time personalization, $12.5M), signaling vertical-specific AI SaaS wave.HaptX acquired by Ohio manufacturer—haptic glove company pivots to industrial training applications after years targeting consumer VR.Thanks to our sponsors Zappar and VitureNew episodes every Tuesday.

Neal Stephenson—legendary sci-fi author who coined "metaverse" in his 1992 novel Snow Crash—and Rebecca Barkin, co-founder of Lamina1, return to the AI XR Podcast for a wide-ranging conversation about building a decentralized creator economy, launching their dystopian AI world-building project Artifact, and why blockchain might finally free creators from Big Tech's chokehold. Joined by Charlie, Ted, and Rony, the discussion spans Neal's lost Magic Leap project, the resurrection of the open metaverse dream, and how decentralized platforms could flip Hollywood's power structure on its head.Rebecca details Lamina1's journey from blockchain currency for the open metaverse to Spaces, a multimedia creator platform built on Ethereum that allows IP owners to retain control, set royalties, and build direct relationships with fans. Think YouTube meets Discord, but on decentralized rails. The goal isn't socialism—it's a creative meritocracy where artists get equity in platforms they help build, instead of just one-time payouts while Netflix captures all the value.Neal unpacks Artifact, Lamina1's first creative test case: a post-Singularity world where 12 competing mega-AIs fight over energy, copper, water, and GPUs while humans live in the interstices. Co-created with Weta Workshop using AI tools like World Labs' marble splats, the project invites fans to co-create lore, not just consume it. It's a living experiment in collaborative IP development—and proof that small teams with AI amplifiers can build Grand Theft Auto-scale worlds.Guest HighlightsNeal Stephenson coined "metaverse" in Snow Crash; former Magic Leap creative lead with lost IP still trapped at the company.Rebecca Barkin pivoted Lamina1 from metaverse currency to Spaces: a decentralized platform for multimedia creators retaining IP rights and earning equity.Artifact launches as Lamina1's test case—collaborative world-building in a dystopian post-AI Singularity where fans shape the narrative.Built on Ethereum with Consensus Network backing; uses blockchain to solve micro-transaction volatility and give creators sustainable economics.Signed Bob's Burgers team (Ghosted Media) and other Hollywood refugees seeking autonomy from studio gatekeepers.News HighlightsValve launches PC cube + wireless Index headset—sub-$1000 system to compete with Xbox/PlayStation and revive PCVR market, but will enthusiasts bite?Meta adds real-time computer vision to AI glasses—Ray-Ban smart glasses gain live AI interpretation, pushing toward inflection point for wearables.Google Maps integrates Gemini AI—natural language directions and real-world context awareness transform navigation into conversational copilot.11 Labs launches voice marketplace—Michael Caine licenses voice cloning; Matthew McConaughey invests but won't sell his own likeness.Disney announces AI user-generated content strategy—Bob Iger teases platforms for fans to create with Disney IP, following Lego's remix culture playbook.Big thanks to our sponsor Zappar. Subscribe for weekly insider perspectives from veterans who aren't afraid to challenge Big Tech. New episodes every Tuesday. Watch full episodes on YouTube.

Dr. Tom Furness—esteemed as the “Grandfather of VR”—brings seven decades of breakthrough invention, untold stories, and rare wisdom to the AI XR Podcast. In this episode, Tom traces the thread from making rocket fuel as a kid in North Carolina to pioneering the “Super Cockpit” for the Air Force, founding the HIT Lab, and launching 27+ spatial computing startups. His journey reminds us that big shifts in XR and AI are really about one thing: boosting the bandwidth between the brain and information.Listen as Charlie and Ted tease out practical lessons from Tom’s career—how head-mounted displays and real-time simulation grew from a Pentagon skunkworks project to tools for pilots, surgeons, first responders, and kids who learn differently. Tom reveals how the “cockpit problem” was never about adding more gadgets, but about human-centered design—and why the next revolution in XR depends on soft skills, not just hardware. He shares how XR can teach memory, empathy, and “open the aperture” of the mind.Guest HighlightsInvented the Super Cockpit: the first immersive, wearable pilot interface, inspiring modern VR/AR.Founded the University of Washington HIT Lab; mentored a generation of XR founders and researchers.Championed headsets, tracking, spatial sound, and haptics in military, medical, education, humanitarian, and entertainment fields.Built VR tools for everything from the F-35 to “light schools” that boost learning and emotional intelligence.Advocates for XR’s potential to unlock new forms of human growth and creativity—beyond the screen.News HighlightsStability AI and Anthropic win landmark copyright cases—courts rule AI model training as legal “fair use,” with distinctions for retaining source material.AI data centers drive up public power bills—the debate over who pays for tech’s massive energy appetite heats up.Magic Leap alumni debut no-code AR platform—pushing toward mainstream AR creation, but will intent and timing finally align?Google adds Gemini to Maps—AI-powered natural language search changes real-world navigation and travel.Subscribe for weekly insider perspectives from veterans who aren’t afraid to challenge Big Tech. New episodes every Tuesday. Watch full episodes on YouTube.

Kirin Sinha, MIT math prodigy and founder/CEO of Illumix, embodies the vital intersection of AI, XR, and real-world relevance. On this episode, she unpacks the hard realities of spatial computing’s journey—from grinding through MIT at sixteen and “building the Iron Man desk as a senior project” to launching Five Nights at Freddy’s AR (garnering 60M+ downloads) and powering Disney/Six Flags location-based XR.Sinha challenges the XR hype machine: “Location-based constraints are the best sandbox. Real-world variability, lighting, edge compute, and privacy aren’t just demos—they’re survivability.” She candidly discusses why the first era of mobile AR rarely survived outside of theme parks and why the true metaverse won’t arrive through geofenced phone gimmicks, but rather from ambient cameras, context-aware AI, and wearables that deliver daily relevance.The conversation dives into XR’s scaling riddle: most startups go too big, too soon—Illumix ran lean and learned real lessons from thousands of live deployments before expanding. Sinha’s take on platform dominance? “Whoever pairs visual context with an always-on, lightweight wearable—without being creepy—wins.” She weighs the mergers-and-acquisitions question with nuance (“you keep every door open, but we’ve built for independence and profitability”), and explains exactly why Niantic’s follow-up AR games failed to recapture Pokemon Go’s lightning-in-a-bottle.Guest HighlightsEnrolled at MIT at 16; bridge between math, AI, and real-world camera vision.Founded Illumix, powering everything from “Five Nights at Freddy’s” AR (60M+ organic downloads) to Disney and Six Flags’ location-driven XR.Deep infrastructure: dynamic, privacy-first, real-time spatial intelligence at the edge, not reliant on the cloud.Insights on product-market fit and startup timing: “Most of the world’s ‘available’ XR space is dead space without a ‘why’ for users.”Honest, nuanced take on M&A, survival, and why lean teams win when timing finally shifts.News SegmentNvidia’s $4.5T valuation—is big tech over-hyped, or will foundational arms dealers keep winning while everyone else corrects?Major tech layoffs attributed to AI “efficiency”—stock prices keep rising as automation accelerates, but most Americans are left behind.Brendan Iribe’s $300M AI/AR glasses startup—a kinder, context-aware approach to ambient interfaces, but does anyone actually break out from the pack?Google/Magic Leap factory reboot, patent arsenal, and Surface team members cycling across Meta and Apple—XR’s “three Spider-Mans” all fight for the same future.OpenAI’s privatization and AGI date bets—the team debates when, how, and if superintelligence IPOs.XR economy is in a phase shift—who survives, who gets acquired, and who makes it to scale?Special thanks to our sponsor Zappar. Subscribe for weekly insider takes from industry veterans who aren’t afraid to challenge Big Tech. New episodes every Tuesday. Watch the full videos on YouTube.

Paul Raphaël , co-founder of Felix & Paul Studios, joins the AI XR Podcast for a candid, high-energy discussion on the state and future of immersive experiences. Broadcasting live from Las Vegas during the launch of "Interstellar Arc" at AREA15, Raphael details the three-year journey behind this ambitious location-based VR attraction—capable of hosting 170 simultaneous users in a fully interactive, physically-anchored world.Paul explains how Felix & Paul’s background in cinematic VR, including their Emmy-winning "Space Explorers" ISS series, led organically to massive real-world installations like The Infinite and Interstellar Arc. The team’s relentless commitment to high presence, practical haptics, and social immersion has kept Felix & Paul at the top of XR content for over a decade. Raphael shares the lessons learned from surviving through hardware hype cycles, pivoting when needed, and betting big on experiential location-based entertainment. He compares the Interstellar Arc’s staged onboarding and world-building to the best of Disney Imagineering, blending nostalgia with cutting-edge tech.The group unpacks the mixed reviews for Samsung’s Galaxy XR headset, discusses OpenAI and Microsoft’s latest browser moves, and debates the implications of California’s new chatbot disclosure law. Paul and the hosts dig deep on business realities—headset costs, throughput limitations, and why word-of-mouth and “the ultimate holodeck” matter more than the marketing hype. Raphael offers advice for young creators: stay obsessed, be nimble, and design for what’s actually possible today—not just hype for the future.Guest Interview HighlightsLaunching “Interstellar Arc” at AREA15: 170-player free-roam VR set in a massive, tactile spaceport—blending real-world physicality, seamless pre-show and post-show narrative, and next-gen social VR.Lessons from “The Infinite” and Space Explorers: Pivoting toward large-scale, high-throughput live VR events as a sustainable creative and business model.Staying power in XR: Why creative obsession, no-plan-B persistence, and ground-level adaptability have kept Felix & Paul thriving.Haptics, real objects, and social immersion: Making “free-roam” a convincing, embodied experience—even with today’s hardware.XR’s future: Why the studio’s best projects might be ahead—and how true mixed reality will need to drive down headset weight, friction, and heat.News Segment HighlightsAmazon’s leaked internal AI & robotics roadmap Meta reorgs AI staffSamsung launches Galaxy XR headset OpenAI and Microsoft debut AI browsersCalifornia passes first US chatbot lawWikipedia sees 8% drop in traffic Thanks to our sponsors:Zappar MattercraftViture: Luma Series XR Glasses

Amit Jain, CEO and founder of Luma AI, joins Charlie Fink, Ted Schilowitz, and Rony Abovitz to unpack the future of AI-native video and the transformation of Hollywood’s creative economy. Once an Apple engineer, Jain launched Luma during the early NeRF boom and built what is now the industry’s best-performing AI video generation system—Luma Ray 3, the world’s first HDR model capable of 16-bit cinematic compositing. In this episode, Jain argues that AI video isn’t just a tool—it is quickly becoming the new substrate of the internet, a reality where professional-grade video replaces web pages as the primary interface for information, learning, and entertainment.Before Luma, Jain led core Apple Vision teams, where he learned how AI perception systems interpret the world. That experience now powers Luma’s radical thesis: every phone user will soon generate an hour of personalized video per day, making video “the new language of the internet.”The hosts challenge Jain on whether startups like Luma can compete with OpenAI’s Sora and Google’s Veo, and Jain answers with confidence: “Big companies marketing harder doesn’t matter—the best models always win because creators demand control, quality, and speed.” Luma, he explains, is already embedded in four of the six major Hollywood studios and hundreds of professional production houses, providing real-time previsualization, set extension, and multi-character scene generation on consumer hardware.Guest Highlights: Amit Jain on AI-First CinemaHollywood adopters: Four of six major studios already using Luma Ray 3 for previsualization, compositing, and AI-assisted performance capture.Death of performance capture: Luma’s video-to-video model translates acting from an iPhone recording directly into 3D characters—replacing mo-cap workflows with laptop AI pipelines.AI for directors, not automation: Jain insists AI empowers storytellers. Directors can now reshoot, re-time lighting, or replace actors at negligible cost—transforming iteration speed, not intent.The “professional-first” strategy: While OpenAI and Google chase consumers, Jain is targeting the $1.2 trillion professional video production market, where 90% of spending occurs.Hollywood’s broken math: “Studios die because of $400-million movies,” he says. “Make 10 films for $40 million each and you’ll have a creative renaissance.”News Segment HighlightsSnap’s Lens Fest reveals next-gen Spectacles with binocular see-through XR displayAnduril’s new IVAS “Eagle Eye” headset Apple announces Vision Pro Gen 2 .Samsung’s Galaxy XR headset Flint AI raises new round from a16z and Sheryl SandbergThis Episode’s SponsorsZappar's Mattercraft – AI-integrated 3D web design suite for building immersive XR content.Viture Luma XR Glasses – 52° FOV and 152-inch virtual screen experience for gaming and streaming.Subscribe for weekly insider perspectives from industry veterans who aren’t afraid to challenge Big Tech. New episodes every Tuesday. Watch the full videos on YouTube.

Antony “Skarred Ghost” Vitillo—legendary XR blogger, developer, and authentic voice of the immersive tech world—joins Charlie Fink, Ted Schilowitz, and Rony Abovitz for a sharp, candid take on why spatial computing keeps breaking hearts (and bank accounts). Vitillo, calling in from Torino (and Nutella country), takes listeners inside his evolution from reluctant Twitter handle-user to one of the industry’s essential critical thinkers. With 30,000+ social followers and nearly a decade at the helm of the Skarred Ghost blog, Tony has borne witness to every device cycle, product hype wave, and reality check XR can muster.The hosts open with news that captures the collective whiplash of the sector: Samsung finally names its long-awaited “Moohan” headset the Galaxy XR; Apple is reportedly pivoting away from Vision Pro follow-ups in favor of pursuing AI smart glasses, chasing the hardware trend Meta has tried to lead—with several Magic Leap alumni shaping both companies’ next moves. Meanwhile, OpenAI’s Sora 2 outpaces Google’s Veo 3 in text-to-video generation, and “AI feeds” continue to spark debates about separating synthetic from real in our content streams.Guest HighlightsVitillo unveils XR truths learned the hard way:From accidental blogger to “Master Yoda”: Tony’s accidental rise began with an anonymous Twitter handle, a failed AR/VR startup, and a mentor’s advice to “own” XR expertise—eventually outlasting the startup itself.The real cost of authenticity: European sensibilities (practical, cost-effective, resistant to Silicon Valley bombast) shaped Tony’s on-the-ground verdicts: the Google Glass era was “too early,” even good implementations often wither outside logistics and niche use-cases.Product vs. Prototype and the patience gap: Tony, Rony, and Ted all agree: too many XR launches are rushed by investor pressure from prototype to product, skipping the long, hard path of patience. Meta’s Quest Pro is called out as a textbook “rush job” that failed to meet real readiness.Why XR is “harder than Mars:” Decades and $150B+ spent, yet still no universal hit. Tony argues the impossible form factor challenge (stuffing room-scale computation into eyewear) is compounded by deeper neuroscience—humans simply recoil from something too “in your face.” Physics is tough, but brains and social norms are the real brick wall.Why Roblox, not VRChat, “won” the metaverse: Most of the sector’s big dreams faded back to mobile during and after Covid. With Rec Room, VRChat, and others all scaling back, Roblox’s mass adoption proves device accessibility outweighs idealism. Tony expects cycles of platform hype, but says only rare combinations of luck, timing, and use-case ever sustain an audience.News Highlights Samsung’s “Moohan” headset renamed Galaxy XR—signaling mainstream branding push into the AR/VR hardware race.Apple shifts Vision Pro focus toward AI smart glasses—pivot after slow sales and sector criticism, echoing Meta’s latest headset push.OpenAI Sora 2 outpaces Google’s Veo 3—AI video generation heats up, new feeds spark debates over AI vs. real content in social media.XR product launches called out for impatience—Meta’s Quest Pro and others critiqued as rushed from prototype to product.Thanks to This Episode's SponsorsZappar's Mattercraft - 3D web development with AI assistant for real-time design and debuggingViture XR Glasses Luma Series - 52-degree field of view, 152-inch virtual screen for mobile gaming

Paul Travers, founder and CEO of Vuzix Corporation, returns to join hosts Charlie Fink, Ted Schilowitz, and Rony Abovitz for a masterclass in enterprise XR resilience and the long game of hardware innovation. As the architect behind the world's first consumer VR headset (the VFX1 in 1992), Travers has survived every boom and bust cycle in wearable technology for over three decades. Now publicly traded with 80,000 shareholders, Vuzix represents what Rony calls "the GameStop of XR"—a dramatically undervalued company ($200M market cap) that could become the consolidation hub for smaller XR startups while taking on tech giants with superior enterprise focus and manufacturing capabilities.The episode opens with the hosts' unfiltered critique of Meta's recent Connect announcements, where Rony argues that despite $100+ billion invested in Reality Labs, Meta's Ray-Ban display glasses represent minimal advancement over the original Google Glass—a "disappointing" return that small startups with minimal funding are already surpassing. This sets the stage for deeper discussions about Neon, the controversial app paying users $800/month to record conversations for AI training (which Rony compares to Neal Stephenson's "gargoyles" from Snow Crash), and Meta AI's new "Vibes" feed that separates AI-generated content from real-world posts to address deepfake concerns.Guest HighlightsTravers pulls back the curtain on three decades of XR survival:The "Lindy Effect" advantage—how Vuzix's longevity through multiple extinction events creates predictive value for continued success, like "alligators surviving when everything else didn't make it"Enterprise-first strategy—why focusing on warehouse workers, Amazon distribution centers, and pharmaceutical operations (1,000+ systems deployed at Nadro) creates sustainable revenue streams versus consumer fashion battlesManufacturing at scale—Vuzix's Rochester facility produces 1.5 million waveguides annually at 90%+ yield rates, enabling 10,000-unit weekly deliveries and potential silicon carbide waveguide production (the same exotic technology Meta claims costs $10,000 per pair in their Orion prototypes)AI-agnostic platform approach—unlike Meta's closed ecosystem, Vuzix allows BMW, Amazon, and other enterprise clients to run their own AI models locally through NVIDIA Blueprint technology for IP protectionThe "GameStop potential"—with smart money recognizing XR's AI-enabled inflection point, Travers envisions Vuzix becoming the acquisition vehicle for consolidating smaller XR companies, potentially reaching the $20+ billion valuation that experience and manufacturing capability warrantNews Segment HighlightsMeta Connect critique reveals $100+ billion Reality Labs investment yielded minimal advancement over original Google Glass—disappointing monocular displays that startups with minimal funding already surpassNeon app controversy pays users $800/month to record conversations for AI training, creating "voice gargoyles" that transform people into data input mechanismMeta AI launches "Vibes" newsfeed separating AI-generated content from real-world posts to address deepfake and authenticity concerns across social platformsChatGPT privacy settings reminder that users can disable data sharing through hidden personalization and security menus to avoid training their AI replacementsThank you to our sponsors, Zappar and Viture!

Tricia Biggio, CEO of Invisible Universe, joins hosts Charlie Fink and Ted Schilowitz for an illuminating deep-dive into how AI is revolutionizing content creation for social media. A veteran television producer who transitioned from traditional media to Snap, then launched her own company, Biggio reveals how her team built the world's first AI-powered content creation platform that reduces production costs by 95% per minute. From creating viral characters like Serena Williams' daughter's doll "Qai Qai" to launching Invisible Studio—a comprehensive AI toolset now used by eighth-graders to compete with major studios—Biggio demonstrates how authentic storytelling paired with rapid iteration is reshaping entertainment. Her company's brands have achieved billions of views across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Roblox, proving that social platforms can serve as testing grounds for intellectual property development rather than just marketing channels.Guest HighlightsHow "minimum viable content" philosophy allows rapid testing and iteration with audiences rather than traditional seven-year development cyclesWhy authenticity beats polish—her grittiest Snap show (Bhad Bhabie) generated hundreds of millions of views while polished influencer content floppedThe "Trojan horse" strategy of using social media as IP incubation rather than just distribution, turning audience feedback into real-time creative directionBuilding Invisible Studio—an all-in-one AI platform for script writing, voice generation, image creation, and video production that enterprise partners and individual creators can accessHow community-driven iteration replaces traditional media's "perfect then release" model, allowing brands to evolve in public and capture viral momentsTricia emphasizes that successful AI content creation requires storytellers building tools for storytellers, not just technologists creating features. Her platform approach addresses both content creation and distribution challenges, recognizing that in a world of infinite content, strong narrative voice becomes more critical than ever. The conversation explores whether rapid AI-enabled production maintains creative integrity or if audiences actually prefer speed and authenticity over traditional craftsmanship.News Segment HighlightsMeta's display-enabled AI glasses launch with mixed reviews—monocular display creates adjustment issues, neural wristband shows gesture control promise despite device failing twice in live demosTikTok sale finalized to consortium including Larry Ellison, algorithm changes suspected to appease conservative concerns, potential government stake like Intel dealSnap CEO "betting the house" on Spectacles AR glasses strategy—risky move requiring major behavior change may keep devices in "exotic Ferrari" market vs mainstream "Toyota" adoptionNothing raises $200M for UK-based minimalist Android phone expansionNintendo releases Virtual Boy accessory in cardboard and premium plastic versionsSubscribe for weekly insider perspectives from industry veterans who aren't afraid to challenge Big Tech. New episodes every Tuesday. Watch the full videos on YouTube.Thank you to our sponsors, Zappar and Viture!Don't forget to like, share, and follow for more! @TheAIXRPodcasthttps://linktr.ee/thisweekinx