How GenAI Will Revolutionize XR and the Metaverse

In 2024, XR technology—comprising stacks, software, and hardware—experienced significant growth. Concurrently, generative AI technologies emerged, boosting AR/VR/MR content creation for both enterprises and consumers.

Many organizations, along with experienced developers, are still navigating the complexities of creating real-time 3D spatial applications and content. Producing enterprise-ready XR content often requires considerable time, financial resources, and expertise.

Nevertheless, as generative AI gains traction and becomes better understood, the barriers to entry are diminishing. Its automatic generation capabilities significantly enhance the adoption and development of enterprise-grade XR solutions.

The realms of XR, generative AI, and associated technology stacks are intricate and demand expert understanding to grasp how these technologies are applicable in modern business and everyday life. To delve into this topic, Lenovo’s Head of Virtual Reality, Jason McGuigan, collaborated with XR Today to share his insights regarding the intersection of generative AI and XR.

McGuigan stated:

“Lenovo is committed to our ‘AI for All’ strategy. Every facet of our technology stack, from AI-driven PCs to data centers and our activities in the XR domain, is being enriched with generative AI. We are thrilled to deliver these transformative technologies to our customers.”

AI: Shattering Barriers in XR Content Creation

McGuigan emphasized that the rapid evolution of this technology sector necessitates businesses to remain “actively engaged.” He further articulated that generative AI is an exhilarating field because it fundamentally alters our “interactions with the world.”

“This represents not merely a new computing paradigm; it will seamlessly integrate into every aspect of our daily lives,” remarked McGuigan.

McGuigan elaborated:

“A core mission for Lenovo is to engage customers on how to utilize AI responsibly. We also aim to keep them ahead of the curve as this technology becomes omnipresent. Generative AI is everywhere, and we view XR and AI as complementary technologies.”

McGuigan noted that Lenovo is recognizing the significant potential of generative AI in XR content creation, optimization, and personalization, thus delivering targeted insights and outcomes for teams and individual users. Lenovo is exploring how generative AI-driven XR can unlock new use cases, like industrial training.

Generative AI can streamline production workflows for immersive enterprise solutions “from design to programming and everything in-between,” he stated.

McGuigan asserted, “We are approaching a day when a novice developer, who has never created for XR before, can use voice commands to interact with an AI and generate an experience.”

McGuigan continued:

“XR content creation has traditionally been challenging, with a limited pool of skilled creators. This technology democratizes the necessary tools, amplifying the capabilities of those few skilled individuals. It allows more participants in the creative process, which could result in a greater variety of specialized content in XR, subsequently driving broader technology adoption.”

“It’s dismantling the obstacles that have limited involvement in these processes,” McGuigan noted, adding that AI can save time and energy while simplifying customer approvals, thereby creating more efficient production pipelines.

AI and the Metaverse

The term “Metaverse” was prominent in recent years, but generative AI swiftly eclipsed it in early 2024.

Despite a shift in focus away from consumer Metaverse hype, generative AI is fueling the future of the Metaverse, specifically in areas like RT3D and immersive, multi-user services.

McGuigan described the Metaverse as not a “single destination,” but akin to the Internet, allowing users to transition between various spatial services. He added that the Metaverse is set to enhance the current Internet experience by spatially enriching it, providing access to entertainment, shopping, or workplace services in a fully 360° 3D user interface.

Generative AI facilitates the transformation of non-immersive content into spatial formats, bridging the gaps necessary for XR/Metaverse visualizations. McGuigan shared, “The original vision of the Metaverse was a complete digital realm where we could interact with digital objects as if they were real. That aspirational idea confronted feasibility issues on multiple fronts.”

Yet again, generative AI significantly reduces barriers in XR production, enabling semi-automated content creation. Starting with a simple image, generative AI can evolve it into a 3D object, then a 3D space, and finally into a virtual environment, “all occurring behind the scenes before you don your headset or glasses.”

McGuigan continued:

“By eliminating barriers with generative AI, we open the door to a future where many of these concepts can become tangible. Every website could seamlessly integrate spatial content generated through a back-end engine powered by generative AI, eliminating the need for a large development team.”

The future remains uncertain, however. The landscape of emerging technologies is continuously evolving, and the integration of XR, AI, and the Metaverse into everyday life may differ greatly from current expectations. Additionally, as advanced and less intrusive wearable technology becomes available, XR content will not only become more sophisticated but also more accessible. Generative AI working in the background will empower smaller devices, leading to a true revolution in computing.

McGuigan remarked that soon, technology and humanity will converge at a point where you can put on a device, visit a website, and find that spatial content waiting for you—an exciting reality made possible by the fusion of XR and Generative Artificial Intelligence.”