Augmented and Virtual Reality in the World of GPT Text and Image Creations: AI, Metaverse, and Art

This chapter discusses popular aspirations and fears of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR). For both, the ideal content required has all the complexity, persistence, and interactivity of nature: a metaverse and AI. There are dystopias and utopias colorfully portrayed in science fiction which speak to our fears and desires for the future. But, has the metaverse already arrived? There are now convincing AI metaverses of text, virtual collaborations and presence, 'digital twin' ontologies, deep fakes, and fake news. It seems that the technological ground on which our reality and industries rest is again shifting with the sudden advances in artificial intelligence—especially with text and still-image generation. Does this shift give us a new perspective on the desires, horrors, and useful definitions of Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and the potential metaverse? In this chapter, the authors seek to interrogate the terms: ‘AR’, ‘VR’, and ‘metaverse’ in light of the fast-moving AI phenomenon. A survey of popular science fiction draws out the hopes and anxieties of these media, and a journey through the progress of virtual and metaverse art in China over the last decade elucidates the creative challenges ahead.