Do androids dream of electric sheep?

One week you’re on holiday, disconnected from the world and enjoying the simple things in life, and next thing you know we’re on our way to becoming cyborgs as Neuralink, the latest venture of the ever entrepreneurial Elon Musk -who else?- has received approval for clinical trial in humans.

While this sounds scary and opens the door to what being human will look like in the future, it also opens the door to groundbreaking possibilities, especially in the medical and healthcare fields where AI is proving to be a force for good, whether it is identifying cancerous nodules or helping a man paralysed after an accident walk again.

As it is often said technologies per se are neither bad or good, it is the use we make of them. And that is perhaps the underlying question behind the rapid growth of AI in recent months as alarms were raised in fear of how AI automatisation could put jobs at risk across many different industries or make it more difficult to detect scams and prevent misinformation.

Regardless of where one stands on the AI debate, we’re witnessing the dawn of a new era - not only because of the revolutionary uses of AI, but most importantly because the shares in companies that are going to sustain the technology going forward are going up. Follow the money usually is sound advice to get a sense of where things are going.

I give it to you that it’s not very reassuring to read that the same people who are behind the AI companies transforming our world tell you that maybe the technology they’re building will one day put humanity at risk of extinction, but AI is a nascent technology with great potential if used correctly. Which builds the case for the importance of strong regulation that acknowledges the potential risks of AI and puts safety in the forefront. Perhaps that’s what Rishi Sunak discussed last week in his meeting with Google DeepMind, OpenAI and Anthropic AI.

And because we’re approaching London Tech Week this is my cue to flag that the AI Summit on 14th and 15th June will touch on all things AI from applications to different sectors, how it is shaping the future of work, ethics, policy and regulation. ?

Moving on to one of the most anticipated events of the last couple of weeks: the launch of the Apple XR headset on 5th June. In recent weeks headlines announced the death of the metaverse, mostly on account of Meta’s unsuccessful attempts to take its own version off the ground.

The same media who had anticipated the death of the metaverse, then rejoiced when Apple announced the launch of a mixed reality headset, probably because they got the wrong end of the metaverse stick to begin with.

In fact, as soon as the news broke about Apple’s upcoming device a string of very exciting headlines sprung seemingly out of nowhere, from Meta being in talks with Magic Leap to David Beckham paving the way to launch his own metaverse, which can open the door to a new way for celebrities to capitalize on being famous beyond the limits of the physical world.

In any case, experts are however cautious about the hype surrounding the upcoming Apple launch and why as exciting as this device may sound, it might not meet expectations. The point here is that while this headset might be a cutting-edge piece of tech it relies on

1) 3D content and software being accessible, available, exciting and relevant

and

2) the technology to be adopted by the general public in order for it to have a significant impact. Which at the time being is not yet the case.

Likewise, another reason to call for moderate enthusiasm is that the future of virtual worlds and the development of the metaverse going forward don’t depend on the success -or failure- of the Apple headset, as experts are rightly pointing out. This could lead to the same mistake the media has already made by identifying the metaverse with Meta.

And here I must mention General Magic, a great documentary on how Apple funded a small startup which developed the first smartphone ahead of its time and before the market was ready for it. Spoiler alert: the launch was a total flop despite the product being the most sophisticated mobile phone at the time.

We’ll have to wait until the Apple headset is reveal on Monday and there is more information on what it can deliver. But to put things in context getting blinded by the new Apple headset is similar to being amazed by the fact that Nike sold over a $1M of NFT sneakers last week, only to find out they make $126m in revenue selling physical goods every day. In other words: while there is an interest in acquiring virtual goods and engaging in virtual environments, we still very much buy things we need to carry on with our mundane existence in the physical world.

What’s clear is that Apple has set things in motion with this unexpected irruption into the immersive space, so don’t be surprised if Meta has just announced the launch of a new VR headset for September, the Meta Quest 3, starting at a whopping $499.

And again if you want to learn more about whether virtual worlds will become a reality (no pun intended) you can head to the NextTech Stage: the Metaverse on Tuesday 13th June at ?Queen Elizabeth II Centre to learn about how AI, VR, AR are contributing to shape the metaverse and whether it’ll become fully immersive one day. ?

Changing gears, Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer has pledged to create 1 million new jobs for the creative industries by 2030. This is great news, although long overdue as back in 2015 Nesta already urged the government to commit to creating one million new creative jobs by 2030 in their Creative Economy and the Future of Employment report.

In the meantime, the iconic London venue The Roundhouse has launched Roundhouse Works?to support 15,000 young people each year, mostly from disadvantaged backgrounds to work in the UK’s creative industries. The project has been funded by donations and will provide access to a music studios, performance space, a large multi-use studio for workshops, and a dedicated podcast studio.

And last but not least, the UK government is looking at understanding whether another booming creative industry, videogames, can pose a threat for mental health of users.

To this end, the Video Games Research Framework, developed by DCMS (the Department for Media, Culture and Sports,) has been published to support research in video games and help build a stronger evidence base for future policymaking. The framework will serve as a “best-practice supporting tool” for video game research, aiming to increase understanding of how video games impact individuals, societies.

Tech News

• The BBC has launched BBC Verify to address the growing threat of disinformation and build trust with audiences.
• Universal Music is teaming up with generative AI startup Endel but only for mood music.??
• Tencent Music is doubling down on AI to “help reduce the barrier to music creation”.
• Meta have just been sanctioned with a record €1.2bn fine by the EU over the transfer of user data to the US.
• But on the other hand, they (Meta) have ?made a healthy profit of minus $347m selling Giphy to Shutterstock.

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Creative & Cultural News

• ?DCMS has announced funding for arts projects marking the 75th anniversary of Windrush.
• ?Royal Academy of Music has opened applications for its Glover-Edwards Programme aimed at female conductors in exploring postgraduate study.??
• ??The V&A museum has opened the largest UK permanent photography gallery
• ??This year’s Eurovision reached a record 162m viewers.??
• ??Anna Wintour is planning a London version of the Met Gala for September

This Week I Am Looking Forward To

• ?Seeing Aida at the Royal Opera House this evening. A much needed cultural fix with a modern production that reflects the challenging times we’re living in.
• ?Contrary to what most people think about opera, it is actually quite modern and timeless in its themes. No matter the question, there’s likely an opera with an answer to it.

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London Creative and Tech News is a weekly round-up of curated creative, cultural and tech news with a focus on London.

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