The advancements in artificial intelligence have allowed augmented reality to become much more accessible to everyday consumers. From Apple’s Vision Pro to Meta’s Quest, technology that was once complicated and expensive to integrate will soon become a staple in everyday life. While artificial intelligence (AI) focuses on human-like intelligence that can analyze data, resolve problems, make predictions, and provide solutions, augmented reality (AR) enhances real-world objects on a virtual platform such as a mobile device or headset to create an immersive environment. Over the last year, Illumix has focused on building augmented reality technology around location-based entertainment and experiences. Illumix’s enterprise AR platform is becoming the standard for major venues ranging from sports stadiums to music festivals to theme parks and resorts. The company has launched Illumix’s proprietary Spatial Positioning System, which enables digital content to precisely pair and merge with the real-world environment both indoors and outdoors in a privacy-compliant manner. Think of this as an operating system for the physical world—enabling venues to add interactive, immersive, and personalized elements to physical experiences.
Founded by Kirin Sinha, Illumix has been an industry pioneer in moving immersive digital content from 2D into 3D. Sinha has found generative AI to positively impact the augmented reality industry, “One of the largest blockers to AR adoption today is the cost and time required to build 3D experiences. Generative AI effectively removes this blocker, supercharging the entire AR space by making the 3D asset production, animation, and experience development faster and cheaper. As we see AI become more accessible, we can expect to see a rise in AR consumer experiences. At Illumix, we have been streamlining the AR production pipeline for the past several years, and Generative AI has provided us with a powerful tool to simplify and automate,” she said. “In addition to leveraging AI to improve AR development, AI and AR are converging to create new scalable experiences that are contextually relevant, personalized, and responsive. Illumix has been actively involved in driving these high-quality AR experiences from our platform. For example, with advances in AI, we will be able to understand the scene you are in (“you are walking through a stadium”) and present information in AR that is relevant specifically to you (“you are a fan of the home team so here are some merchandise deals” or “here is the path to your seats”).”
CEO and founder of Illumix, Kirin Sinha.
Courtesy of Kirin Sinha
This year Illumix will invest in continued advances in core spatial computing technology along with AI-enhanced platform capabilities to ensure that all experiences launched with Illumix are of the highest caliber, driving further AR adoption at both the enterprise and consumer levels. Additionally, Illumix will provide the backend nervous system for not just creating immersive AR, but operating it after launch – this includes dynamic updating, integration with venue systems, and enabling direct monetization.
Sinha shares that we will continue to see the acceleration of AR, fueled by three dominant and rising trends. “Firstly, demographics shifting to a majority digital native population, secondly, new hardware releases that expand the types of AR experiences possible and, thirdly, there will continue to be a convergence of AI with AR. Increasingly, companies are looking to engage Gen Z and millennials who grew up in the digital world as much as the physical. AR brings these worlds together and creates a natural solution for the experience economy that lends itself well to social sharing and boosts digital revenue streams—making AR integration into consumer experiences a key trend in 2024. Additionally, major hardware launches and generative AI advances are bringing new digital-physical experiences—from hybrid workstations to virtual assistants—to the forefront this year. Mixed reality devices, such as Apple’s Vision Pro and mixed reality headsets that evolve out of today’s virtual reality devices, will launch along with multi-model AI-enabled wearables, such as Meta’s Ray-Bans, peaking consumer interest and excitement for AR and in turn, fueling further AR development and growth.”
As AR continues to leverage the advancement of AI, llumix strives to create AR that can both drive direct utility for consumers, such as wayfinding, as well as create highly engaging and personalized experiences such as your favorite character wishing you happy birthday at a theme park. AR also offers the possibility that the real world can be modified and enhanced in real-time, allowing businesses to keep their experiences dynamic and evergreen.
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Maria Malik is your guide to the immersive world of Virtual Reality (VR). With a passion for VR technology, she explores the latest VR headsets, applications, and experiences, providing readers with in-depth reviews, industry insights, and a glimpse into the future of virtual experiences.
