The Fall 2018 JOVRNALISM (JOURN 489) class had a special guest lecturer earlier in the semester: Rony Abovitz, the CEO of Magic Leap, one of the most talked about companies in the emerging Mixed Reality (they call it Spatial Computing) industry.
On the heels of the much anticipated LEAPcon event, Abovitz didn’t just Skype into the class, he “beamed” in via a telepresence robot shipped from Plantation, FL, the company’s headquarters.
In the off-the-record, fireside chat with the USC students, Abovitz shared insights about his company, the emerging industry and his vision for the future.
But the conversation was just too good to keep off the record and only benefit the 20 students attending. So, with Abovitz’s permission, here are some of the highlights that resonated with the class:
“5 in 10 million”
In Sci-Fi novels and movies, this type of technology typically has a dystopian ending. Even if you are a fan of these new possibilities, one has to admit that there are a variety of negative impacts this emerging tech could have in our lives. It’s no coincidence, Abovitz said, that the authors of those Sci-Fi dystopian futures are part of the staff at Magic Leap.
They want to be thoughtful and deliberate on how their technology affects the future. That was a strong theme at the LEAPcon conference, held in Los Angeles last month.
“There’s 10 million dystopian possibilities and 5 utopian,” he said. “We’re trying to get to the 5.”
Philosophical guardrails
Ethics – especially as this technology shapes the future – was a recurring topic during our chat. Abovitz said that even with their best intentions, engineers should not be the sole figures to create technological guidelines. He is actively seeking insights and advice from diverse perspectives to “figure out the philosophical guardrails” needed to guide and develop Magic Leap, and therefore influence and shape the future they envision.
UI as a solution
User-interface for mixed reality/spatial computing is completely new and presents an opportunity for people to understand and decipher potential ethical challenges. For example, Abovitz says good UI design for mixed reality should enable people to distinguish between physical and digital assets. In fact, it’s okay (and even encouraged) if everything doesn’t look 100% real. That is a more ethical approach than attempting to fool someone into a false reality.
Prof. Robert Hernandez, creator of JOVRNALISM, moderating the conversation with Magic Leap CEO Rony Abovitz.
A force for good
Magic Leap wants to be a force for good – to be used for powerful storytelling, entertainment, healthcare/medical services, etc. – therefore, it is constantly working on where and when to put safeguards on its content. The key, Abovitz said, is to balance creative freedom and remaining a PG, family-friendly company.
Preparing for immersive storytelling
Rather than looking at legacy media for inspiration in these new forms of storytelling, Abovitz recommended creators study Shakespeare and understand how he guided the audience’s gaze on stage without the director’s cut.
Architecture could be another source for inspiration on this new medium. A story – like a book or movie – is made for one person, but in architecture you are creating a space – a story world – that could be experienced by millions of people, possibly at once.
Infinite asymptote
No matter how advanced Magic Leap gets with its technology, Abovitz admitted that they are “chasing an infinite asymptote,” getting ever closer to the ideal outcome, but perhaps never reaching it.
Muggles and wizards
Out of all the insights we heard – and that we could share – perhaps this one resonated the most with us. Abovitz invoked the Harry Potter world when asked about how he views the negative coverage given to his Magic Leap One headset and the concept of mixed reality/spatial computing.
In Potter’s reality, there are wizards, who can do magic, and there are muggles, who don’t believe in magic. Muggles are oblivious to the magical world.
According to Abovitz, the same is true in mixed reality/spatial computing.
There are those who get it (see the magic) and those that don’t. Why be bothered by the denying muggles? Instead he focuses on working with other “wizards” to make the Magicverse more a reality.
JOVRNALISM class listening to Magic Leap CEO Rony Abovitz sharing insights on the future of Spatial Computing.
