Now, I know that’s a lot of terms to get a hold of. Virtual reality (VR), Artificial intelligence (AI), art and design?
We’ll get through with a basic understanding of each before we can understand how they are working in sync with each other as art and design advisors.
Let’s start in order :
1. WHAT IS AI?
Artificial Intelligence or AI as we call it, is a system that tries to emulate the workings of the human brain. Hence the use of the word ‘artificial’.
Artificial intelligence attempts to stimulate the processes of human intelligence, especially in computer systems. AI has endless application possibilities, and it has now chipped into the world of art and design.
1.1 WHAT IS AI POWERED?
In simple terms, AI-powered tech or AI-powered products are those that use artificial intelligence to learn and adapt to data patterns and act in accordance with them.
AI-powered search, products, and technology have capitalized in abundance since the trend of AI and ChatGPT entered the technology domain.
AI-powered examples are AI robots, social media monitoring, AI chatbots, AI-powered virtual reality, self-driving cars, smart assistants, and many more.
2. What is Virtual Reality?
VR or virtual reality, within the likes of AI, also tries to emulate not the process of thinking but rather experiences. VR is a computer-generated simulated immersive experience of a virtual world.
The term ‘virtual’ is used to mean something that exists in essence or effect, it does not exist physically. Usually, this environment can be perceived through a VR headset curated for this purpose.
Virtual reality or VR is comprised of 4 elements, namely virtual worlds, immersion, sensory feedback, and interactivity.
2.1 VR USES
Virtual reality or the virtual world has many uses but the most commonly known one would be simulators.
Driving simulators, incredibly immersive gaming experiences, visualizations for geographical use, VR in the medical field for carrying out the practice of complex surgeries, and flight simulators.
A lesser-known use for VR is its use in therapy sessions.
3. Is AI a Part of Virtual Reality
It is really important to get this right and understand the differences between both. AI is not a part of Virtual reality.
AI is a computer system, a branch of computer science that is employed to create intelligent machines or products like autonomous robots.
Virtual reality is a form of interaction between humans and computers to produce an environment that feels real and truly exists. This environment may be modeled from a real environment or a fake one.
Okay so they are different….but how do they come together?
4. How Do AI & Virtual Reality Work Together
AI and Virtual reality, though providing different sensory applications, are not mutually exclusive. They can be and are combined to create remarkable experiences, innovations, and sophisticated solutions.
As we have mentioned earlier, AI is a system of thinking, and virtual reality or VR provides an experience that one can feel, sense, and respond to in the virtual world.
Artificial intelligence, through its thinking and intelligent processes, can enhance the workings of the virtual reality or VR world. AI can provide calculated feedback with regard to adaptive ability assessment and guidance.
Virtual reality or VR is an attempt to create an environment, which seems real to perception. For this purpose, it needs to employ hardware and software materials to engage in and create the VR world. This is where AI steps in.
4.1 Use of AI in Virtual Reality Applications
For the sake of easier understanding, I will explain this with the most common and easily understandable example of VR that is used in gaming.
The gaming world has advanced a lot since its beginning years. From arcade games to online gaming applications and websites, VR has opened, quite literally a new world in gaming. Transporting the user beyond the bounds of the real world, virtual reality has taken asking to a whole new level.
Throwing AI in the mix makes for an even richer experience for the user. Generative AI, is the specific term used for the mixing of AI techniques into virtual reality. AI offers the user, based on the data input and high adaptability value, a new virtual experience each time.
4.2 AI and VR
The developers’ work gets easier due to this process as they do not need to design each aspect of the vane separately.
Algorithms can generate new layouts, scenes, landscapes, character designs, and architectural styles. One of the famous rich virtual reality games created and talked about in terms of stylization was ‘The Last Of Us’.
Lifelike VR objects and characters can be generated with generative AI. AI algorithms can develop new characters, creatures, and objects with a variety of looks and behaviors by training models on large databases of 3D models, textures, and animations. This aids in adding rich and engaging content to virtual worlds.
Generative AI techniques use data-driven learning to create adaptive, real-time content. This results in the creation of dynamic and authentic outputs that maintain the user’s interest.
4.3 Augmented Reality & Virtual Reality
Wait, what is augmented reality now? And is it not just a synonym for VR?
Well, it is similar to VR but it has differences and key changes that set them apart.
While VR uses and is almost entirely based on virtual settings, augmented reality uses real-life settings and environments. It is a combination of computer-generated and real-world-inspired content.
You can lose yourself in the immersive VR experience but if you want a more controlled setting where you can control your real-world presence, augmented reality is for you. In simple terms, VR controls the user experience and AR lets the user control their presence.
Another difference is that while VR needs special equipment like a headset for it to complete the experience, Augmented reality or AR can be accessed with your smartphone.
Now that we have covered the technological definitions of AI, AI-powered, and virtual reality, let’s shift focus to art and design.
5. Art & Design
We all know how important art and design is in our everyday life. There are new trends upcoming each day that change and challenge the functions, definitions, and boundaries of art and design.
It is almost impossible to keep up, let alone apply these new trends in everyday life.
Yes, I used the word ‘almost’ on purpose because now it is possible to suffuse AI-powered virtual reality art and design advisors within our regular mundane routines.
Art and design is a crucial element to any space, product, industry, or business.
6. AI in Art & Design
AI with its intelligent technology can follow and track market trends and provide an array of options based on them in the art and design field. In this situation, AI acts as an advisor.
Similarly, with the use of virtual reality or VR, we can visualize these suggestions easily and make changes according to our preferences.
Personalization, preferences, customization, and innovation are the key differentiators in brand image and AI-powered design systems can offer personalized content, product recommendations, and interfaces that connect with each user on a deeper level by analyzing user data.
Art and design is something that is not only limited to commercial and practical use but has also been adopted by the masses for personal use with the increasing appreciation and knowledge of art trends and history.
Architectural visualizations and design tools provided by AI-powered techniques are opening up new opportunities for designers and businesses.
6.1 History of AI Art
I will keep it brief because well, this is not an art history class but it is relevant to know how it has been used in the past. AI art may feel like a new emergence but it has been around for longer than you think.
The medium has been around since the sixties but has become increasingly popular in recent years. AI art was popularized to the masses in the year 2000 by artists like Mario Klingemann.
It did not shoot up immediately as the new trend amongst the public, since traditional art was more trusted. It took people nearly a decade to come to terms with AI art and in 2015, Google released its AI art platform called DeepDream.
6.2 Design Tools
Here are examples of how this works
6.2.1 Image Editing:
With just a few clicks, AI-powered image editing tools can easily retouch pictures, get rid of unwanted backgrounds, add new backgrounds, and add artistic filters.
Whether you’re a seasoned pro, a casual enthusiast, or even just a novice, artificial intelligence (AI) is accessible to all and can assist you in producing great images without the need for advanced editing abilities.
This ability is further used by professional editors, art students, graphics designers, illustrators, and other numerous professions revolving around art and design alike.
Image editing is especially useful in the architecture field to plan out the construction as well as the interior decoration and renovation of the space.
6.2. Graphic Design
In brand communication and marketing, graphic design is fundamental. Graphic design software with AI-powered capabilities can evaluate your design brief, interpret your brand guidelines, and suggest design aspects that are in line with your business and marketing goals.
Now I know all this sounds a bit complicated but integrating AI-powered virtual reality in art and design and using them as advisors is a lot easier than it sounds.
Several free and paid AI-driven or AI-powered platforms that cater to your art and design needs are available online. Once you acquaint yourself with them you can start your art and design journey easily.
Various courses offer insight into the basics of AI-powered virtual reality-based art and design applications.
7. Ai-Powered Virtual Reality and Art & Design Advisors
Any form of art or design-based work needs a basic understanding of perspective and spatial comprehension in terms of size and shape.
While traditional art and design techniques with the use of drawing, and sketching techniques are used for perspective-based drawings, they can often be a bit tricky to get right on the first attempt.
This stands true, especially in cases of architectural drawings, cityscapes, landscapes, and other geographic and topographical environment planning.
Virtual reality or VR has made it increasingly easier to imagine and redefine spaces and landscapes due to its virtual world feature where one can imagine and perceive the world they have created.
Additionally, it is also easier to make changes quickly and to spot mistakes or irregularities in composition.
Moving beyond the current physical and digital tools and adopting a multisensory methodology that makes use of natural inputs like speech, sight, touch, and gestures is necessary for spatial design.
As these methods become clearer, they also reduce the workload and labor required for these processes and can be carried out by a single person and not a group of people who need to be designated for each task.
It is understood that a shift from traditional art and design to digital media also calls for a shift from 2-dimensional designs to 3-dimensional ones.
This shift becomes smoother when we make use of AI-powered virtual reality techniques to get richer results, personalized designs, and realistic and engaging experiences.
It also requires the specific tools and skills which are provided by AI.
8. Enabling New Dimensions to Art & Design
Creating visually stunning art and design experiences that are also immersive, enthralling, and feel real to perception, touch, and sense calls for hyperrealistic real-world-like lighting, modeling, composition, and rendering.
Though virtual reality is based on and used for a virtual world that feels fiction-like, it is not only limited to that. The branch of virtual reality, which is called augmented reality, is great for this purpose.
This, however, does not mean that VR or virtual reality cannot be modeled from real-life examples. It is not limited to fictionalized worlds.
Taking advantage of AI-powered machine learning, 3D design tools can handle time-consuming tasks and create photorealistic results that previously required costly photoshoots or hours of creative toil done manually.
Using VR we can get these objects to look life-like in a simulated environment, in 3D form, and see how they behave in the simulated environment and make modifications accordingly.
AI can help designers use data on client inclinations to show products in 3D instantly, with favorite logos, colors, brands, and sizes.
The combination of AI-powered virtual reality allows us to sell the complete package, it sells the experience and not just its essence.
9. Animation in Art & Design
AI-powered virtual reality in set and design advisors work extensively in the animation field. They can transform everyday 2D experiences into immersive, extraordinary 3D experiences with a few clicks.
Generative AI has changed the way of consuming digital content. It has empowered art and design, by making it a more interactive experience.
We can now take advice and ideas from AI-generated bots and see them come to life from virtual reality simulations to the real world.
Although AI-generated art has reached heights, there is always in question in case. It raises concerns about the authenticity of imagination, an element that essentially defines the basics of art.
What questions you may wonder…?
10. Conclusion
The emergence of any new phenomena comes with the flip not-so-good side. AI art has been controversial and has caused a wave of traditional and digital artists to protest against it with the claim that AI-generated art is plagiarizing their art.
We spoke about how AI generates things from the data that has been input on the web. Now the content it generates isn’t entirely original per se. There are concerns about the unauthorized use of artworks to train AI systems, which raises questions about the rights of artists.
However, weighing the pros and cons while human art celebrates subjective differences in style, mediums, and forms, AI-powered virtual reality has its precise and computational accuracy to laud.
Needless to say, AI-based tools are here and they are here to stay. So, it all goes down to finding a balance between use and misuse.
For instance, AI art makes it possible for everyone, regardless of talent level, to generate aesthetic imagery, which is both a benefit and a drawback.
AI art proponents claim that it allows everyone the opportunity to discover new artistic trends and participate in the creative process.
Last Updated on October 10, 2023 by ayeshayusuf
