How Long Until We Can Have a Holodeck?

Beam Me Up: How VR and AI are Paving the Way to the Holodeck

Remember Star Trek: The Next Generation? They introduced some pretty cool tech on the show that might be used 350 years into future. Of course, they also introduced the iPad, but I’m talking about the really cool tech like computer-human hybrids (Borg), androids (Data), and the Holodeck, where people could live out their best Sherlock Holmes fantasy, immersing completely convincingly in another world.

Because of the juncture of VR and AI technology at this moment in time, and based on the mountains of money big tech is throwing at this thing, the Holodeck may be a lot closer than we think. Let's take a look at some of the most noteworthy VR innovations from Facebook (now Meta), Microsoft, Google, and Apple, as well as how these companies are incorporating AI and large language models (LLMs) into their business strategies and cloud services. And: perfect timing! Meta (parent company of Facebook) just reported earnings yesterday, and we did get a glimpse into what they’re up to.

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