Andreas Fraunberger
- Apr 26

Expanded World Event Report

Updated: 2 days ago

Prompt Author: Andreas Fraunberger Human Co-Author: Gabriella Chihan-Stanley Audio Transcript: MS Word Online

AI Writing System: Claude Opus3, via Poe.

D#Avantgarde and XRVienna Unite for "Expanded World" Event: AI Innovators Chart Course for Creative Change.

"We want to faciltate a space where everybody can contribute and collaborate in the most inclusive way to get the best out of themselves together with like-minded people."

Gabriella, founder of XR Vienna

On April 11th. 2024, two pioneering communities at the forefront of AI and XR innovation, D#Avantgarde and XRVienna, joined forces to host "Expanded World" - a cutting-edge event that brought together experienced professionals from diverse creative fields to explore the untapped potential of AI-powered Spatial Computing.

Hosted at the cutting-edge VIDEO STUDIO Wien, the event featured an immersive program designed to facilitate connections, inspire, and spark new ideas that can shape the future of digital content creation.

New Frontiers: AI and XR Visionaries Share Insights

From industry analyses to new artistic tech tools, the lineup of international keynote speakers at "Expanded World" delivered a masterclass on the transformative potential of AI and XR across diverse creative domains. Each expert offered helpful insights that deeply resonatedwith our audience of innovative decision-makers, marketers, and artists seeking to have a holistic and rich understanding of the AI-driven disruption in the creative industries. .

Andrea Balisteri (COO, AIXR)

framed the event's mission very clearly : "We want to cross-fertilize, cross-pollinate, work together, and influence each other, and create new standards." As the bright minds behind the 'Oscars of VR, AIXR is uniquely positioned to identify and celebrate groundbreaking work at the vanguard of immersive storytelling - a key priority for our innovation-hungry community. Andrea's call for collaboration set the stage for an evening of boundary-breaking ideas.

Ezequiel Lenardon (The AZULIK Group, Mexico)

captivated attendees with how virtual world tools are influencing architecture and urban planning. "[We're] building a city in the Mexican jungle, led by this visionary architect," Ezequiel shared his vision of a future where the lines between digital design and physical construction are increasingly blurred.

"At the point we are right now, there are still many challenges ahead. We do see the great potential that making these images has and the quality that they express. It's really amazing what one can do."

For our audience of creative professionals seeking to leverage emerging technologies for their creative initiatives, Ezequiel's work was a confirmation of the opportunities that the merging of AI and XR can bring when harnessed by curious and determined minds.

"I’m convinced that AI and all these [genAI] visualization technologies we are starting to handle right now will facilitate and speed up processes in a way that we can't even imagine. I'm really looking forward to seeing how much things are going to change, but for sure, it's going to be a very exciting moment for the industry."

Gerda Leopold (Director and producer)

transported the crowd to the convergence of technology and storytelling with an exciting preview of her AI-powered cinematic VR project ‘Schiele XR’

Throughout her presentation, she demonstrated the vital role of an iterative process and constant technology adaptation in projects that involve the use of XR and AI. As we are writing the rules of the game while we play it, there are always things that we can only find out by doing, finding out how it worked (or didn’t work) and advance the project gradually until we achieve our vision, but always being willing to keep exploring how the advancement of technology can enrich the final result. And that takes time.

Ines Baumgartner (Visualization Supervisor, The Third Floor, Los Angeles)

revealed the cutting-edge XR techniques that powered Oscar-winner Denis Villeneuve's sci-fi masterpiece, Dune. She shared with the audience some of her beginnings and how building scenes for a film looked 20 years ago compared to how these processes are today. One main question she’s faced constantly at her work is how technology can contribute to the film’s story, visual effects, and compositing and how it can enhance them. When it comes to AI, Ines mentioned that there are strict protocols regarding the usage of generative AI content in film production / VFX and they revolve around safeguarding the intellectual property of film studios, as well as ensuring no copyrighted material used in training LLMs ends up incorporated into the films. Also, as company policy is restricting the use of internet during production, most AI tools are automatically dismissed due to their lack of functioning without access to the internet.

"I think AI tools like Midjourney are amazing for brainstorming, for concept and character design, and creating backgrounds.”

For our community of creative professionals seeking to optimize workflows and unlock new efficiencies, Ines' expertise across the production pipeline was invaluable. Her presentation underscored the critical role of XR in enabling seamless collaboration and iteration at every stage of the creative journey.

The series of expert talks and presentations brought to the surface a clear call to action - encourage attendees to harness the power of AI and XR to streamline workflows, uncover new insights, and bring innovation in their respective fields.

CYDIA' Recap

Take a break, relax and see Cydia, the evening's virtual co-host sum up the event for you.

Collaborative Envisioning: How to Facilitate AI and XR for Long-lasting Impact

The Think Tank segment of the event was about sharing ideas, as much as about forging them together. The interactive session invited participants to envision a future where AI and XR converge and create enduring value, not just a temporary satisfaction..

Attendees self-organized into ten cross-disciplinary groups to brainstorm for 20 minutes about how this future could or should look like.. Every group presented their outcomes through a 2-minute talk after the brainstorming session, having a representative of their group go up on stage and share the outcome with the other attendees.

The groups tackled the central question: How can we use AI and XR in tandem to construct value-driven outcomes that transcend trends?, Fueled by the earlier presentations' insights, they theorized scenarios where these technologies could drive meaningful and lead to sustainable transformation across creative domains.

As the clock ticked down, each group distilled their visions into concise conclusions, ready to be shared with their peers. One by one, the representatives of each Think Tank group went on stage and shared their vision of an AI/XR-powered, future:

"Imagine AI that doesn't just enhance XR experiences, but evolves them in real-time based on user interactions and biometrics."

"What if we used AI to procedurally generate immersive worlds that adapt to each user's unique creative journey?"

"Let's harness AI to make XR creation tools more intuitive and accessible, empowering a new generation of diverse voices."

Though the specifics varied, a common thread was clear - a commitment to leveraging these technologies not for novelty's sake, but to authentically amplify human creativity and facilitate meaningful connections. To build tools and experiences that enrich lives and transform industries, as much as they captivate the attention of their users.

For our community of creative innovators, the Think Tank was an exercise in ideation, but mostly a call to action. A reminder that the true potential of AI and XR in long-term substance.

🤝 Building Bridges & Breaking Barriers

The event's core mission was to unite the Spatial Computing and AI communities, fostering dialogue and collaboration among innovators, AI and XR professionals, researchers, and enthusiasts from creative industries, marketing, and the arts.

As Gabs, founder of XRVienna, put it:

"The family is growing for both of our communities. And for this family to grow what we always need to achieve is a cozy and egalitarian atmosphere where everyone is involved. Ego and shame always get in the way. So our motto is “No ego. No shame. Under our roof we’re all equal."

Through guided discussions and collective brainstorming, participants laid the foundation for a new set of standards in digital content creation - standards that prioritize humanity and harness the power of AI and XR to " amplify one’s creativity and productivity as an individual and within a team, as well as facilitating access to creative tools and processes for everyone."

🌐 Engaging a Global Community

Thanks to an advanced 4-camera live stream setup, "Expanded World" reached far beyond the walls of VIDEO STUDIO Wien. D#Avantgarde and XRVienna's shared the commitment to making leading-edge knowledge accessible to the global creative community.

For Gabs and Andy, a community is the engine that drives innovation and ensures a meaningful advancement of industries through collaboration, knowledge exchange, and support.

See the full stream recording here:

👥 Empowering a Diverse Membership

Recognizing that diversity fuels innovation, both organizations have pledged to actively seek participation from underrepresented groups - "ensuring that our community is a true reflection of the plural and diverse world we live in."

This commitment to diversity was reflected in the event's program, which empowered members to:

Seek opportunities to have their AI and XR projects and ideas challenged by community peers as a means of purposefully refining them
Embrace collaborative thinking, understanding client needs, and big-picture planning
Focus on values, purpose, and understanding of human experience
Produce high-quality content, be open to enhance their current creative processes tasks, and optimize efficiency in the production of creative projects
Connect with peers in a trusted atmosphere of creative innovators

🥂 Collaboration Meets Celebration

In true Viennese spirit, the evening concluded with a lively party - an opportunity for attendees to connect on a personal level, exchange ideas, and plant the seeds for collaborations that will drive the AI and XR revolution forward.

As the D#A and XRVienna teams proclaimed:

"Come for AI&XR, stay for the fun, bring your friends, and let's expand our world together!"

This statement summarizes the spirit of "Expanded World" - by uniting cross-industry and cross-human perspectives fostering a deep sense of community, and nurturing a space where everybody can contribute and collaborate openly, we can push the boundaries of what's possible and shape a future where the power of AI and XR can become a catalyst for positive change.