AI, VR, and AI Companion

This chapter projects into the future of technology and examines three potential technologies that might become inevitable for society in general (not necessary in the education system): artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), and a mechanized consultant. Artificial intelligence technology has advanced impressively in recent years, but is still in its infancy, hallucinating, inaccurate, and impersonal. Virtual reality has also advanced a lot, but it still needs to make some technological leaps in order to be flexible and connected to its users in natural ways. When we combine these two technologies with a personal consultant who knows the user well, the result is a technology that has the potential to affect our lives in ways we cannot even imagine. We call this integrated technology the “omni-assistant”, and discuss it further in the following chapters, mainly in the context of the education system (but not only), based on a thorough examination of the technologies that create it as well as their integration.