Welcome back to Spatial Beats, where we round up all the top news and happenings from around the spatial computing spectrum, including its escalating infusions with AI and other emerging tech. Let’s dive in…

The Lede

The ​TED2025 Conference, held in Vancouver, wrapped its 36th edition. It featured 80 speakers from more than 60 countries, including Sam Altman, Eric Schmidt, and Palmer Luckey. TED’s theme, “humanity reimagined,” was tailor-made for the moment, leaning heavily on AI and media. TED also announced it would be moving back to California from Vancouver in 2027.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman announced (he says accidentally) that 10% of the global population (~800 million people) now regularly uses their systems. He emphasized the inevitability of AI surpassing human intelligence and addressed the evolving definition of AGI and the importance of developing secure and trustworthy agents.

Google’s Android XR head, Shahram Izadi, showcased prototype AR glasses featuring a built-in miniature display powered by the company’s Gemini AI assistant, capable of real-time translations and book scanning. He also demonstrated a Vision-Pro-like headset, developed with Samsung and Qualcomm to compete with Apple’s pricey, flawed Vision Pro. headset akin to Apple’s Vision Pro.

Feeling Spatial

Survey: How Much are Consumers Willing to Pay For AR?

The AI Desk

Every week we are up to our armpits in news from big tech. Between OpenAI, Elon Musk, Meta, Google, antitrust suits, and AI, it’s hard to get attention even if you make an easy-to-use tool, like “Selfie With My Younger Self,” from Pika Labs, a little Generative AI startup that’s raised a paltry $135 million. Pika is known for these kinds of mind-bending effects anyone can do. This is my high school graduation photo with a slightly out-of-scale present-day me.

OpenAI has upgraded ChatGPT to reference all past conversations, enhancing personalization and context awareness. This feature is rolling out to Plus and Pro users globally, excluding certain European regions due to regulatory constraints. Users can manage memory settings, including disabling the feature or using Temporary Chat for sessions without memory retention.

OpenAI has filed a countersuit against Elon Musk, accusing him of unfair competition and interfering with the company’s relationships with investors and customers. This legal action escalates the ongoing conflict between OpenAI and Musk, who was a founding investor in the company. OpenAI seeks to hold Musk accountable for alleged damages and to prevent further unlawful actions. ​

Harmony Korine’s EDGLRD to Enter Pact With AI Company Runway​. ​T​he filmmaker behind Spring Breakers and Gummo, has struck a creative partnership with Runway, the AI video startup. His Miami-based studio EDGLRD is developing a slate of experimental content powered by Runway’s generative tools. The first projects, Aggro Dr1ft, a thermal-vision action movie starring Travis Scott, and Baby Invasion, a surreal AI-infused home invasion thriller​, are ​what Korine calls “blinx,” a hybrid of ​video game, ​film, and art.

James Cameron Advocates for AI to Reduce Blockbuster Film Costs. Renowned director James Cameron expressed support for using AI to cut production costs of effects-heavy blockbuster films. He emphasized the need to reduce expenses without compromising staff, suggesting AI can streamline processes and enhance efficiency in filmmaking. There is no way to enhance efficiency without using fewer people, James, but you know that. Perhaps by being “honest-ish” you won’t prematurely incur the wrath of industry labor unions. There will be plenty of time for that after it’s too late.

AI-Powered Studio GRAiL Launched By Davide Bianca & Jeff Krelitz. GRAiL will integrate generative tools in every content development step. Drawing on their deep experience in film and media, the duo say GRAiL will use AI to accelerate workflows, lower production costs, and expand creative possibilities. The studio is already in talks with creators and distributors to develop multi-platform IP. The project reflects a broader movement in entertainment toward hybrid human–machine collaboration. Computer scientist and creative technologist Bianca had been Chief Creative Officer of creative agency BCN Visuals. He co-directed the first globally broadcast AI commercial for Coca-Cola late last year, titled “Holidays Are Coming.” Krelitz is a producer and the former CEO of Heavy Metal magazine. GRAiL’s rep roster includes many whose work has been featured in this column, including Kavan The Kid (Star Wars – The Ghost Apprentice, Those Who Remain), PhantomX (Spiral, Time Vice), Kim Landers (LEADS, Nox), Aashay Singh (Veil, Multiverse of Mine), Guido Callegari (HARU G-16, DockRidge), Ryan Patterson (Final Round, Sacred Mountain), Alexandre Tissier (Echoes of Regret, Mindlift), Jan-Willem Bloom (The Obsidian Rift, Bibot Saves Christmas) and Rogier Hendriks (Hollow – Caterpillar, Within Temptation – Raise Your Banner).

“DISRUPT” is a speculative fashion film from Prompt Media Lab. The filmmakers say they were “inspired by the bold spirit of Yves Saint Laurent.” The company had previously won Best Commercial in Luma AI‘s filmmaking competition.

Big Tech Energy

Meta Faces FTC Antitrust Trial Over Instagram and WhatsApp Acquisitions. On Monday, April 14, Meta is set to face the Federal Trade Commission in an antitrust trial beginning April 14, 2025. The FTC alleges that Meta’s acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp were anti-competitive and seeks to potentially divest these platforms. Two thoughts here. Should the government succeed, it would send shockwaves through the tech industry. Second, when you bend the knee, change your policies and beliefs, and open your massive media platform to a political organization, is it wrong to expect a little legal relief? Even though they may well be right, the justice department does not have to prosecute this case, or the one against Google. It may be they have not yet been generous enough, given the stakes.

Colossal Biosciences Claims Successful De-Extinction of Dire Wolves. Dallas-based Colossal Biosciences announced the birth of three genetically engineered wolf pups exhibiting traits of the extinct dire wolf. By editing genes in gray wolves using ancient DNA, the company ​plans to restore lost ecological functions, though experts debate the authenticity of these animals as true dire wolves.

Spatial Audio

For more spatial commentary & insights, check out the AI/XR Podcast, hosted by the author of this column, Charlie Fink, Ted Schilowitz, former Paramount futurist and co-founder of Red Camera, and Rony Abovitz, founder of Magic Leap, Mako Robotics, and Synthbee AI. This week’s guest is filmmaker John Gaeta’s Escape.ai, a home for what he calls “neo-cinema.”You can find it on podcasting platforms Spotify, iTunes, and YouTube.

Charlie Fink is an author and futurist focused on spatial computing. See his books here. Spatial Beats contains insights and inputs from Fink’s collaborators including Paramount Pictures futurist Ted Shilowitz.

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