The Porno -- Er -- Holodeck Inches Closer

[Tuckerfan]

Come on, you konw that’s where this is headed.

The researchers’ virtual-reality drama, The Trial The Trail, is a brand new type of dramatic entertainment, where instead of identifying with the protagonist, the audience becomes the protagonist.

The multidisciplinary team formed two years ago when Josephine Anstey, assistant professor in the Department of Media Study in the UB College of Arts and Sciences, was looking for ways to make VR dramas more believable. At the same time, Stuart C. Shapiro, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering in the UB School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, was seeking applications to challenge the computerized cognitive agent called CASSIE that he and his colleagues had developed.

“We started thinking, ‘What happens if you put a powerful artificial intelligence system – which is what Stu has developed – together with drama and stories?’” recalls Anstey. “The potential seems endless. You can get to the point where you have virtual characters that can believably respond to humans in real-time.”

:::Cue funk guitar:::

[neofishboy]

Sure, you think it’s funny now, but once Professor Moriarty becomes self-aware we’re all screwed.

[Tuckerfan]

I, for one, welcome our new VR overlords.