Thomas Layer-Wagner

The ZDF Digital team recently faced a challenge: crafting a high-quality animated intro trailer for a Terra X documentary about “time” in just three days. Using Adobe Firefly, they efficiently bypassed stock libraries, maximizing creative control while maintaining journalistic integrity and meeting the deadline. Ethical AI use remains a priority, aligning with our principles @Adobe. The results speak for themselves: streamlined production, enhanced visuals, and a glimpse into the future of digital media. https://adobe.ly/3WV43BN     #AdobeFirefly #AdobeCreativeCloud

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Are You Attending the Weekly FeedbackXR Sessions? These sessions bring together the best minds in XR design to explore your ShapesXR prototypes, share design practices, and give valuable feedback on innovative XR ideas. Two months ago, I was invited by Iggy to present, and the feedback was incredible! I’ve been attending ever since, and last week, we even did a 3D brainstorming session—pairing up to create a prototype building on the week’s presentation. 🚀 Excited for more collaboration this Wednesday! Want to join? Comment below for more info! #XRDesign #FeedbackXR #Innovation #ShapesXR #Collaboration

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In this interview with Jelmer Althuis, we dive into the importance of Spatial sound👉https://lnkd.in/eNWVkpXS During this episode of XR AI Spotlight we: - Define the real fundamentals of what makes sound sounds real - We look at the production workflow including the recording process, the best libraries and the SDK you can use right now - Look at the impact sound can have on users and inhabitants of virtual worlds

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𝗛𝗲𝘆 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗮? 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻'... 𝗕𝘂𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘁𝗰𝗵, 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗯𝘂𝗿𝘀𝘁, 𝗛𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝟮, 𝗙𝗹𝗮𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗮, 𝗩𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹, 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿? 𝗔 𝘁𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲. ᯅ 🥽 🍽️     I love XR - to me, it's more than a job. One of my big narratives is that XR is for everyone - no matter if it's in your professional or private lives. But just like any industry, it's easy to get caught up in the click baits and how to navigate what is correct and worthwhile paying attention to. (And yep, I can see the irony of me about to post my thoughts on this matter ha!) So, when it comes to tech, a common mistake is to fall for the ol' .... "𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘶𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵!?!" Take an average person buying a new TV for example and being overwhelmed with different tech specs vs pricing points. Nightmare huh!? My tip is, it's so much more than hardware tech specs and always will be. It's the ecosystem, development, history, roadmap, strategy, lifecycle and socialisation (to name a few things) that comes with it. XR Headsets are no different. Even me just saying "XR" to a newbie and having an assumption that an average person truly knows what "XR" means doesn't help. (I do have an XR 101 break down post coming very soon though). So where am I heading with this? Meta have recently and consistently in the past publicly come out stating what they are doing in the XR headset space and 𝗠𝗲𝘁𝗮 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟱 - 𝟮𝟲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰 𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝗮 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗫𝗥 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗼𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲...... and, according to Zuck, Boz (Meta CTO) and Caitlyn (Meta Head of AR Glasses Hardware) it's going to make everyone sit up and be stunned. A bit hard to be truly stunned unless you in person actually try it on tbh ... which is the whole issue with XR for newbies - we in the XR biz talk it up like it's a must have (and for good reason) but unless you try it on, it truly doesn't make sense either.  𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗹𝘆 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗫𝗥 𝘃𝗶𝗮 𝗮 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗼𝗶𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻. And it's also important to remember it's a prototype type showcase too. The words l listed in my title are project code names for Meta's development in XR headset and lenses. XR headsets no matter who makes them will always, IMO, have a trade-off bottlenecks between heat, battery and weight. Something I can't cover off in a few paragraphs though sorry but it would be an endless nightmare for designers.  To give Meta credit in this space. They most certainly do have ecosystem, development, history, roadmap, strategy, lifecycle ... and ... very, very, very deep pockets.  I can’t wait for Meta Connect 24. Leave your thoughts and comments, or hit me for any help on your XR journey.  #META #XR #AR #MR #VR

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Microsoft have just launched VASA-1 - Lifelike audio driven realtime deep fakes. Impressive and scary in equal measure. Check out the Mona Lisa droppin' some phat rhymes. https://lnkd.in/eHaGeaFm #aigeneration #deepfake #vasa-1 #realtimeaudio #ai #aivideo #creativeai

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Efficiency and Avatars - the name for the new episode of the Making the Media Podcast, featuring Miro Ambra from TRACO SYSTEMS a.s. In the episode we discuss AI in news, including AI presenters, the importance of web-based tools to drive forward journalistic collaboration, and where the Cloud fits (and as important, where it does not) in production. Check out the episode here: https://pod.fo/e/270def #avid #ai #artificialintelligence #podcast

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"VR can't put me into someone else's shoes." "It's disgraceful to think 15 minutes in a VR simulation can teach me what another person's life is like." We've heard it all before. And you know what? You're absolutely right. But there's a better way. At XpertVR, we're not trying to put you in someone else's shoes—we're inviting you to the table for a conversation. Take our "It's an IDEA" simulation, developed with Niagara College and Brock University. We don't simply drop you into a wheelchair and say, "Now you understand disability." That’s not the point. Instead, we put you across the table from someone who’s lived their life in a wheelchair, at a moment when they’re facing real-world discrimination. You hear their story, engage in a meaningful conversation, and learn from their experiences. Then, you're challenged to make decisions as if you were sitting at that very table in the real world. This approach allows you to ask questions, explore different perspectives, and learn without the fear of saying the "wrong thing." It's about understanding the complexities of human experience, not just walking a mile in someone else’s shoes. VR isn't just about stepping into someone else's shoes—it's about creating an interactive space where we can all learn and grow together. Oh and did I mention "It's an IDEA" and the project team have been nominated for the Niagara College President's Innovation Award? Huge kudos to the incredible Jamie Oresar, Jim McEwen, Theresa Anzovino, and Maureen Connolly! Ready to join the conversation? Let's connect! #VirtualReality #VRTraining #EDI #DEI #Ethics #LearningTogether

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Reflecting on a great weekend at TEDAI in Vienna. Too much for one LinkedIn post so cherry-picking some highlights: ⌨ Chin-Teng Lin showing wearable tech that can read the words and images you’re THINKING! Will brain computer interfaces make keyboards a thing of past? 🌐 Selena Deckelmann of Wikipedia advocating companies building AI learn from the transparency adopted by Wikipedians. 📜 Digital archaeologists showing how they used pattern analysis to read and decode what was written in unrolled fossilised scrolls. AI isn’t just changing the future - it’s changing the past! ✍ Victor Riparbelli suggesting our grandchildren could be the last generation to read or write as attention spans drop and AI automates video and audio generation. Maybe the written word isn’t morally superior to audio and video? But what about allowing our imagination to fill in the gaps? Discuss! 🎮 Microsoft’s Katja Hofmann showing an AI model trained on 8 years of user gaming data that can help gaming companies test new creative ideas in games, showing AI CAN augment creativity, 🤔 Lots of arguments about regulation hurting small companies, the merits of open-source models v walled gardens, and the negative real-world consequences of unchecked AI like: > Equity (85% of LLMs are based on Latin languages, AI recruitment tools that select candidates based on traits that correlate with gender, ethnicity etc) > Environment (depending on the platform used, 0.5 Litres of water are used to power 10-50 LLM responses!) > And a powerful talk by Northern Irish MLA Cara Hunter on how she was deep faked into a porn video in an attempt to subvert her re-election. 🍃 Raia Hadsell of Google DeepMind encouraging us to think beyond the hype of chatbots to how AI will solve the unknown, from weather forecasting to earth models. 🤦‍♂️ Psychologist Riccardo Loconte on the process of creating an AI lie detector with 80% accuracy, and the implications for trust. 🧠 Oliver Brock on how we tend to use the word ‘intelligence’ indiscriminately, and how the next AI paradigm shift will be active networks, not trained networks. 🤖 An argument by Andrea Lavazza that we should be considering robotic digital successors to continue human civilisation in case of an extinction event. 🌏 Linked to that, Jürgen Schmidhuber on how 2029 will be the year when general purpose robots finally reach the mainstream, and that the world ends as we know it in 2042 as humanity passes the mantle to AI (which expands throughout the universe without the limitations of human biology). Maybe tongue in cheek, maybe not!? 🎤 Oh, and a truly hilarious session by British comic and freestyle rapper Chris Turner in a rap battle against ChatGPT (spoiler: Chris won hands down). I remain a firm techno-optimist from this event- it seems right now for every harm AI poses there are at least 5 applications of AI that improve the world we live in. This AI revolution is truly unstoppable. #AI #TED #TechForGood TEDAI Vienna

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Do you want to feel your virtual reality VR180 images? A new dimension for immersive media opens up. Learn more in our research at ACM VRST 2024. #VirtualReality #ImmersiveMedia #Haptics #ACMVRST2024 #Research #VR180 #SpatialPhotos #SpatialVideos

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Every month, Epic Games chooses 20 items from their Marketplace to showcase where they have up to +47K items they have there. Today, on the Marketplace, Epic Games saw my product Optimization Debug Tool, and they chose to showcase my item after a short period of being there, in addition to that I'm giving you a discount of 30%! Maybe another good update will be that now there is a live Discord server for support. https://lnkd.in/d8duDKwB #unrealengine #unreal #unrealengine5 #unreal5 #optimization #debug #quality #marketplace #indiegamedev #indiedev Epic Games Unreal Engine

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German AI innovator Black Forest Labs has unveiled its new open-source AI model, FLUX.1, which significantly outperforms Midjourney.  https://lnkd.in/eg9eiz-f Key Highlights: Origin: The team behind Black Forest Labs, including pioneers like Robin Rombach, Andreas Blattmann, and Dominik Lorenz, previously spearheaded the Stable Diffusion project at Stability AI before their recent departure. Product Launch: The debut product, FLUX.1, utilizes a hybrid architecture combining transformers and diffusion techniques. It is available in three variants: Flux 1 Pro: API Access. https://docs.bfl.ml/ Flux 1 Dev: Open weight, non-commercial license Flux 1 Schnell: Efficient, 4-step diffusion model, open-source under Apache 2 license Performance: FLUX.1 exhibits superior image quality, particularly in rendering human hands—a noted challenge for earlier models like Stable Diffusion 1.5. Funding and Advisers: The launch coincided with a $31 million Series Seed funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz, and high-profile advisers including former Disney President Michael Ovitz and AI researcher Matthias Bethge. Future Plans: While currently focused on text-to-image generation, Black Forest Labs intends to expand into video generation, positioning itself against major players like OpenAI’s Sora, Runway’s Gen-3 Alpha, and Kuaishou’s Kling. This rapid development and impressive launch illustrate the dynamic pace of innovation in the AI sector, highlighting a significant advancement in the open-source AI ecosystem following the fallout at Stability AI.

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How i plan a storyboard | videocontent | coding | neuronal network? The basic of all my work and planings are mindmaps. In my picture you see a mindmap about our new project "International Online Academy". The whole Online Academy have 124 videos that are related to each other. It is perfect for creating connections, a workflow for later work and you have a perfect, simple, logically structured overview. And its a perfect way to bring your vision, plan, idea or what ever you plan in a simple overview, where you can change the related items, structure perfectly. Note: Yes, It exists AI mindmap tools. But make sure that you understand AI or mashine learning. The ai knows nothing about your "strategy or Relationships of your elements". You can teach the Ai, but it doesn't make sense for "simple" projects! With deeper experience, you can import mindmaps in a ai. #startup #learning #motorsport #technology

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🎙 Running Events in VR: Do's and Dont's Although #socialVR apps offer plenty of opportunities, there are still few professional events in Virtual Reality. This interactive workshop will allow you to bring your expectations and experiences in lively discussions to the table. The goal is to create a framework for better events in VR. → What are the specific advantages over events IRL or on a screen? → What do organizers need to think about to find their audience and keep it engaged? → And what pitfalls should be avoided? 🗓 April 17 │ 8PM CET │ 2PM EST │ 11AM PST 🔗 RSVP on Eventbrite: https://lnkd.in/eVuffJbF 😎 Includes how-to join REMIO, DM if any questions! Hosted by Thomas Zorbach, Founder and CEO at vm-people GmbH + Organizer and Curator of IMMERSIVE X | The Next Reality Conference 🔗 More info: https://immersive-x.de/ PART OF #GETSOCIAL FUTURE OF WORK SUMMIT 🔗 https://lnkd.in/ek9t8HGU #GetSocial #FutureofWorkSummit #RemoteTeams #VirtualEvents #VirtualReality #SocialVR #HybridTeams #SpatialNetworking

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So I stumbled on an AI-generated video yesterday, while scrolling through my feed, thinking it was from SORA, created by OpenAI. I was surprised to find out it was actually generated by Dream Machine by Luma AI. The results were comparable to SORA, with some prompts displaying well-preserved and defined movements. The dynamics were more impressive compared to Runway and PIKA. However, some prompts were really bizarre, weird, and chilling. I tried building sequences with different narratives and here are some of the results. Impressive! #AI #DreamMachine #LumaAI #SORA #genAI #OpenAI

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Vox populi in spatio ac tempore This translated to "The voice of the people in space and time". This is the screen recording of a 360 scene of Berne presenting screens of 360 scenes showcasing the vox - voice-powered virtual assistant feature on Pryntd - coming soon We have taken a nesting doll approach to show you the Unlimit-3D Possibilities with Pryntd. Mark our words; a day will come, soon, l when you can create your own immersive univarse from words uttered. For now use our simple Web based UI. For 2D and VR experiences, simply upload, embed and Go live. Note that you can also watch your landscape 2D content and memories in VR. In the book Pygmalion's Spectacle by Stanley G. Weinbaum, which captured our imagination about the possibilities of immersive experiences, all senses were catered to. Until the day when we can smell and taste the experience, we will settle for the other function of the organ, Oral. Our dream is simple: bring together all the disparate mind-blowing immersive experiences technologies at your fingertips; no gesture to the devices you already own, of experiences you already have, or wish to create. Find the link to this scene in the comments. Pryntd - Unlimit-3D Possibilities

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#XR + childhood obesity? Couple of weeks ago I've imagined gamified approach to combating childhood obesity, by combining smartwatch tracking, with XR game platform. Kids going to obesity clinic, get introduced to their ROBOT, who is powered by their physical movements. They compete with others every week, while their parents need to learn about nutrition, to prevent robot from decaying. #systemthinking combined with #design and #XR at its best. We have impossible problems, let's solve them in an impossible way. #healthcare #obesity

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This is happening. Now. 👇 Yes, it's a #research project. But if there is enough interest, it will soon become a #product. These tools are extraordinarily powerful. These tools are extraordinarily easy to use. Check out the comments - they articulate many of the #concerns and the #excitement. The biggest takeaway is the first two words from Arminas Valunas's post: "Get familiar." #Education about how these tools work, and how easy they are to use, is vital to ensure that these are not used to deceive or misinform. AND to inform creatives about the extraordinary new avenues this will create for #art and #entertainment. #AI is a technology. The tools we create from it can be used for good and ill.

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So many people come and reflect their thoughts about the Global XR Hackathon, September 6-8th. Everybody is so positive and people keep asking me for the next step. At the same time, I'm keeping the dialogue with Linus Kimselius, who hacked the ChatGPT-driven bartender at the Hackathon. He was not competing because he was a mentor. We discuss how many cool integrations can be done and new features like multiplayer, other settings, Spotify integration, and so on. So my question is what kind of activity we should aim for next? Meet and play, show potential - what's possible today, or just an after-work? Please help me out, what are you interested in next? Here's a video of the experience. https://lnkd.in/dbBGrKCu

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