Immersive Memories – Fragments of Time Relived through AI
Immersive media has a profound power: it can capture, recreate, and enhance our most treasured memories. I’ve been living with a 3D device for the past seven years, and I can't imagine going back to flat photos. Immersive experiences create a tangible sense of "being there," giving memories of loved ones, significant moments, or special places a depth and vividness that traditional photos simply can’t match.
The profound emotional impact of immersive memory recreation is poignantly explored in the recent Black Mirror episode "Eulogy." The episode centers on a lonely man, portrayed by actor Paul Giamatti, who uses advanced AI technology to vividly relive immersive memories of a past romantic relationship, transforming old photographs into lifelike experiences. The episode raises important questions about grief, memory, and how AI might simultaneously ease emotional pain and trap individuals in nostalgia. Reflecting on the episode, Giamatti noted:
The profound emotional impact of immersive memory recreation is poignantly explored in the recent Black Mirror episode "Eulogy." The episode centers on a lonely man, portrayed by actor Paul Giamatti, who uses advanced AI technology to vividly relive immersive memories of a past romantic relationship, transforming old photographs into lifelike experiences. The episode raises important questions about grief, memory, and how AI might simultaneously ease emotional pain and trap individuals in nostalgia. Reflecting on the episode, Giamatti noted:
“There's something beautiful about how AI is easing somebody’s grief and easing somebody’s sense of loss. I do feel like the character's coerced somewhat by it, but ultimately, it's a good thing. I hope that this episode causes people to reflect on themselves, their lives, and the possibly positive function of AI.”
Previously, recreating such immersive memories was an intricate and painstaking process, typically limited to professional VFX artists and specialized studios. For "Eulogy," visual effects company DNEG employed advanced techniques, including photogrammetry scans, volumetric capture, precise depth mapping, and LIDAR scans, to construct hyper-real digital spaces from still photos. Cinematographers meticulously balanced realism with stylization, aiming for emotionally resonant, heightened "memory rooms" rather than purely photorealistic environments.
Today, the landscape for creating immersive memories has shifted dramatically. With the recent proliferation of consumer devices capable of capturing the world in 3D—such as Apple's "Spatial Photos"—we're experiencing a quiet revolution. These devices not only allow us to directly capture immersive content but also help train powerful AI models capable of reconstructing realistic 3D scenes from just a few images, or sometimes even a single flat image.
Today, the landscape for creating immersive memories has shifted dramatically. With the recent proliferation of consumer devices capable of capturing the world in 3D—such as Apple's "Spatial Photos"—we're experiencing a quiet revolution. These devices not only allow us to directly capture immersive content but also help train powerful AI models capable of reconstructing realistic 3D scenes from just a few images, or sometimes even a single flat image.
Generative AI has accelerated this shift. Diffusion-based video models like Veo and Sora, cousins of language models, predict not the next word but the next video frame. Anchored by input images, they interpolate between perspectives to create smooth, believable motion, and even extrapolate beyond the originals to imagine new views.
And now, with DeepMind’s Genie 3, we see a leap from frame prediction to entire interactive 3D environments—worlds you can step into, explore, and alter in real time, with changes that persist.
Additionally, AI-generated frames are increasingly being leveraged to train more compact and real-time capable representations, such as Gaussian Splats. Gaussian Splats capture intricate details—textures, transparencies, reflections, and subtle lighting effects—delivering remarkably realistic and detailed immersive scenes.
Additionally, AI-generated frames are increasingly being leveraged to train more compact and real-time capable representations, such as Gaussian Splats. Gaussian Splats capture intricate details—textures, transparencies, reflections, and subtle lighting effects—delivering remarkably realistic and detailed immersive scenes.
The convergence of accessible 3D capturing devices, powerful generative AI, and efficient rendering techniques points to a near future where vividly immersive, AI-enhanced memories become commonplace. This isn't merely a technological advancement; it’s a deeply human development, amplifying our capacity to preserve and relive what matters most to us.