Our latest video from Alt Ethos, a Metaverse and Experiential Design Studio, where we’re bringing you the latest in Metaverse, XR, and Web3 news to keep you ahead of the curve. In just under 5 minutes, we’ll give you the lowdown on the industry’s hottest topics, including Disney’s recent decision to cut its Metaverse unit and Elon Musk’s call for an AI pause.
Hi there! I’m Ethan Bach, and I’m thrilled to be coming to you from Alt Ethos, a Metaverse and Experiential Design Studio in our weekly roundup. In under 5 minutes, we’ll be giving you the latest Metaverse, XR, and Web3 news to keep you ahead of the curve.
The Metaverse, XR, and Web3 industries are quickly evolving, and we’re here to keep you up-to-date. Today, we’ve got two hot topics that are shaking up the industry.
First, Disney’s recent decision to cut its Metaverse unit and let go of its entire team of 50 employees, and second, Elon Musk’s call for an AI pause, citing “risks to society.” So, let’s dive right in.
Although it’s disappointing to hear about Disney’s decision, it’s important to note that Disney is a huge entertainment company,
but Disney is not known for being a leader in storytelling and entertainment technology in recent years. They’ve been slow to embrace VR and AR and were late to the game in streaming.
So, we wouldn’t use them as a barometer for the Metaverse.
Despite Disney’s decision, the Metaverse industry as a whole is still on the rise, with tech giants like Nvidia and Amazon are active.
Bloomberg predicts that the Metaverse will become a $2.5 trillion market by 2030,
THAT’S HUGE! and we’re thrilled to witness major advancements in gamification and interactivity development in the Metaverse.
We’re are also excited to see more integration of AI, which will enable designers to create from text prompts, use AI NPCs for more dynamic interactions, and develop storytelling across various industries. Not to mention we not that Unreal Engine platform provider is currently available on browsers and will be available on mobile this year! That means an Unreal Engine Metaverse that you can access from your mobile device. Exciting times lie ahead.
Although Disney’s decision is unfortunate, it presents an excellent opportunity for other entertainment companies to step up their game and take advantage of this growing industry. For instance, our friends over at Meow Wolf can use this chance to innovate and create immersive experiences for their audiences.
Moving on, let’s talk about the recent open letter signed by some heavy hitters, such as Elon Musk, Steve Wozniak, and Andrew Yang, calling for a six-month break on AI experiments.This call has sparked a lot of discussion about the future of AI. We asked ChatGPT its thoughts on the matter.
“As an AI language model, I recognize the benefits of progress and advancements in technology, but I also acknowledge that with great power comes great responsibility. AI can bring significant benefits to society, but we need to make sure we’re doing it in a safe, ethical, and transparent way.”
That’s where the proposed six-month pause comes in.
The letter states that It’s not about putting a complete halt on AI development but taking a step back to assess the potential risks and develop shared safety protocols. The pause will give AI researchers and policymakers time to refine AI governance systems, ensure advanced AI systems are audited and overseen by independent experts, and mitigate any potential harms before they become unmanageable.
Given the current economic climate, with a rise in unemployment expected, AI taking jobs is already happening, and it’s only going to increase.
We need to make sure that AI development remains aligned with societal values and that we’re not leaving people behind.
That’s it for this week
Thanks for tuning in, make sure to hit subscribe and put your thoughts below, and we’ll see you next week for our first XR, Metaverse and Web3 news roundup in under 5 minutes.
As the metaverse blasts off into mainstream use, businesses have a fantastic opportunity to join in and launch dazzling virtual experiences. Our years of work with top clients in the Metaverse—like Loreal, Anythink Libraries, and blockbuster Vikram Movie–have equipped us to help you understand what it takes to construct memorable design elements within this new frontier. Through meaningful interactions with users and digital objects, your business can establish itself as an innovator in brand marketing unlike any other! So let’s take a look at some of the key components necessary for successful metaverse creation so that your audience is consistently captivated by what they see.
1. Navigation: One of the most important aspects of metaverse design is creating a clear and intuitive navigation system. This includes everything from how users move around the virtual space to how they interact with objects and other users. In order to create a seamless and enjoyable experience, it’s essential to make navigation as intuitive as possible, using clear visual cues and straightforward controls.
2. Interactivity: Another important aspect of metaverse design is interactivity. A key goal of any virtual experience is to make users feel as though they are truly a part of the environment. This means designing experiences that are not only visually immersive but also interactive, allowing users to engage with the virtual space and other users in meaningful ways.
3. Branding: The metaverse is also an excellent opportunity for businesses to showcase their brand in a new and exciting way. To make sure that the brand is consistent and memorable, it’s important to incorporate your brand’s colors, images, logo, and messaging throughout the virtual experience.
4. Accessibility: To truly revolutionize the Metaverse, we must make sure it is accessible to everyone. That’s why our team puts inclusivity first and foremost when designing experiences: from users with disabilities who need a bit of extra help navigating their way through the experience; to those living far away who access this world via a web browser or phone.
5. Innovation: The metaverse is a relatively new and constantly evolving medium, which means that there’s a lot of room for innovation in terms of design and user experience. Staying up-to-date with the latest trends and technologies, and experimenting with new ideas can help you create truly unique and engaging virtual experiences for your business.
By harnessing the power of the Metaverse, Alt Ethos can help businesses create a captivating virtual world for their audience. From platforms with high resolution, ingenious navigation, and interactions to enhance user engagement; let us make your brand’s experience truly unique in today’s ever-evolving digital landscape. Partner with us to take your business into the future!
On behalf of The Colorado Creative Industries (CCI) and Alt Ethos, we invite you to our virtual presentation “Global Creative Connection through Immersive Virtual Worlds” hosted in our new Pathos Metaverse, a 3D avatar platform, this Friday October 1st, 2021 at 2:00 PM MST
Alt Ethos Presentation: Come explore the future of art, technology, and global connectivity through virtual worlds from top creators and thought leaders in the immersive industry. The pandemic shot us into the future of digital engagement and immersive worlds. As some creatives quickly grasped the change to become known internationally, others were left confused. This talk will walk you through the history, present, and future of virtual worlds and how they will impact the global community, our professional lives, and our collective digital future. Speakers:
Julian Reyes, MC
Eric Dallimore, Moderator Panelists
Carlos Austin
Ethan Bach
Evo (Evonne) Heyning
Celeste Lear
Q&A from audience submitted in writing
Carlos Austin, Real-Time “In World (VR)” Live Multi-cam video switching and still photographer at Austin Photograph
Carlos is passionate about the arts with an emphasis on photography/video “in-world” TV production and emerging drone technology. An XR evangelist as this technology begins to mature. Helping create Broadcast television standards for capturing live events in virtual social platforms. Real-time switching live shows with a multi-camera setup. There are so many opportunities to communicate and educate the world through XR. 3rd Generation photographer and storyteller.
Ethan Bach, CEO Alt Ethos
Ethan Bach is the founding CEO of Alt Ethos: experiential design agency and Founder and Board Member of DATA (Denver Arts + Technology Advancement). Westword calls Ethan, “An entrepreneur with an eye on the future’s future.” Bach holds an MFA in Electronic Arts from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Alt Ethos is an award-winning design company and has been recognized in CodaWorx Magazine; the Young Industry Professionals, and by the Mayor of Fort Collins.
Evo (Evonne) Heyning, Metaverse Media. Creative Executive Producer
Evo Heyning is an award-winning producer, technologist, founder and creator focused on the future of participatory media. Evo focuses on collaborative teams that work across fields, sectors, and platforms to create meaningful global endeavors. Evo has created virtual beings, worlds, and campaigns for 20 years. Evo produced major live streaming concerts and campaigns for the White House including the launch of the Affordable Care Act and virtual worlds for diplomacy, civic engagement, and nonprofit development.
Celeste Lear, Immersive Event Producer & Designer, XR Entertainment Specialist, Music & Sound Director, Host, VR Consultant
DJ Celeste is an entertainment & event industry professional with 15+ years of concert, festival & conference production experience. Immersive technology expert skilled in designing & executing cutting-edge events both physically, virtually, AND in Virtual Reality. First in a new wave of DJs who design their own stages & perform as avatars in VR Festivals and Nightclubs. Executive music direction, production & clearance for International, multi-media installation projects for UN & UNESCO, including a large-scale video mapping experience in Paris.
About Pathos Metaverse
Pathos Metaverse is a browser-based virtual world by Alt Ethos. For this panel, all of the speakers will be avatars in the Pathos Metaverse. Through live-action virtual cinematography, CCI participants will stream the event in real-time. Selected avatar audience members will also be in attendance and watching the entire production in the Pathos Metaverse.
Pathos Metaverse is an easy-to-use, dynamic, and engaging immersive platform. Pathos Metaverse provides exciting meeting places, dynamic events, branded virtual worlds, and future-thinking hybrid-virtual-world solutions, pushing the boundaries of interactivity.
“I don’t know about you, but I have caught the travel bug. COVID-19 has taken a toll on everyone’s mental health it seems, and more often I find myself longing to get away. The urge to travel is partially a longing to connect, not just with other people but with the natural world.”–anonymous
COVID-19 has affected the lives of every American in ways we are still grasping to understand. From financial stress to unprecedented changes in school and business, there is nothing our nation has faced quite like this. Now more than ever, people are longing for something to pull them out of the chaos. And now more than ever we need to make wise choices in how we travel. We are longing for opportunities to experience the beauty and to connect with what’s around us.
One of the ways people in the Northwest have increasingly chosen to connect during COVID-19 is through the National Park system. Wyoming, for example, has had some of the lowest numbers of coronavirus cases and deaths in the nation. Their national parks, including Grand Teton and Yellowstone, were able to remain open for the majority of the COVID-19 pandemic with very little outbreaks. Enjoying the great outdoors has become one of the easiest and healthiest ways to be physically distant and remain in-tune with the outside world. The outdoors will remain throughout the winter months.
However, experiences in the outside world don’t have to be limited to the national parks. In a world with an ever-increasing demand for individual, and oftentimes virtual experiences, digital designs are playing a vital role in a physically distanced pandemic America.
Digital designs are one of the most affordable and diverse ways to transform public spaces in ways that would be too cost-prohibitive for traditional capital improvements to take place. For example, holiday tree lightings, modern drive-in theatres, and socially-distanced architectural projection mapping offer the opportunity to set up live experiences with minimal changes to the structural environment. Drive-thru and drive-in live experiences offer the chance to mimic the traditional performance environment without costly overhead or unsafe practices during COVID-19 shutdowns.
Experiential design has been at the forefront of our culture preceding the COVID-19 pandemic. They offer the benefits of a communal social function while allowing individuals to participate from the safety and comfort of their cars, outdoors, or from the comfort of your home. These options offer the blend of privacy and community that many are craving right now. And, there are many other options for virtual live experiences that are just scratching the surface of what we’re able to accomplish within the digital pace.
Join us this holiday season in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Where Cheyenne is bringing the lights to the holidays this year. Alt Ethos will feature two light experiences in Cheyenne this holiday season. On Saturday, November 21st, and Friday, November 27th we light up the Downtown Lighting Celebration through architectural mapping of the train depot located at 121 W 15th Street. That’s not all! From November 21 through January 1st, 2021, come by the Prime Time Holiday Drive-Thru at Blue FCU located at 2401 E. Pershing Blvd, Cheyenne, Wyoming 82001.
The post-pandemic world is undetermined. What do we want to use to shape it, and how will we as individuals and communities contribute? That is the question that digital art and technology can provide if we are confident enough to venture out.
Free Consultation
Note: Always follow the recent guidelines from local health and state agencies as well as the recommendations of the CDC to stay safe. If you or someone you spend time with have compromising health concerns, please avoid crowds.
COVID-19 has cost our nation so much in 2020. It has cost many individuals and small business owners their financial security, while others are struggling to cope with major changes in their duties as parents, employees, and leaders. Even for those who have not been directly impacted by loss of income or life, physical distancing limitations have put daily routines on hold and replaced them with something foreign and uncertain.
However, for some of us, these limitations have sparked creativity. Humans crave connection and we need it now more than ever; but our ideas of connection are changing to meet the demands of COVID-19. One of the ways in which this is happening is through the annual Thornton Dia de los Muertos celebration in the City of Thornton.
Traditionally, the Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is celebrated in Thornton with a festival of food, drink, traditional art, and other activities to celebrate Mexican culture. However, due to COVID-19, the celebration was almost canceled this year. In an effort to replace the live event, the City of Thornton reached out to Alt Ethos to see if we could create something new.
Our team decided that instead of looking to replace the event with a substitutional virtual experience, we’d create something entirely new. We created a hybrid design that allowed for flexibility in a time of changing circumstances. Due to the increasing COVID cases in Adams County, our hybrid event that included the drive by in the park projections paired with an interactive online engagement easily into an engaging multilayer online experience on short notice. The event information was changed and with ease we have maintained the community engagement through this important event.
We are happy to announce that this year, from November 1-3, you’ll be able to enjoy Dia de los Muertos in a virtual interactive art experience from your home and engage in real-time with friends and relatives.
We’ve created an easy browser accessible app that allows participants to create collaborative works of art from any connected device. We present a live drawing tool that lets guests create fluid visual art virtually, in real-time, and in collaboration with other users. All artworks will be themed in traditional Dia de los Muertos styles, but feature modern concepts from at-home artists in Colorado. By using trusted technologies in modern ways, we are able to keep these traditions alive. All this while enjoying dancing and mariachi music.
Community engagement doesn’t have to be put on hold because of COVID-19. In fact, Alt Ethos is able to create 4x the participant engagement via virtual events as compared to traditional live events. Our original design included a drive by/park experience, but due to changes in country COVID regulations, we quickly and smoothly modified the project to fit the needs of modern times. Because Thornton residents don’t have to be physically present in order to enjoy the activities, more are able to tune in and make lasting memories and even connect with family and friends that are far away.
