Google Leverages AI to Develop Project Starline

Google immersive video conferencing product returns with AI assisted development

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Google Leverages AI to Develop Project Starline
Augmented RealityNews Analysis

Published: May 29, 2023

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Rory Greener

AI is, without question, a powerful force within the technology industry. Emerging AI solutions appear as standalone or integrated tools for consumers and enterprises, the most notable being ChatGPT. OpenAI, the firm behind ChatGPT, now operates partially under Microsoft, bringing a mass wave of developmental resources to the conversational AI space – especially for enterprises with the rise of CoPilot.

While the world is getting used to general-purpose AI in various forms, the XR industry already understands the technology and how to utilise it to optimise immersive solutions.

Immersive industry giants like Meta and Nvidia are keen for immersive content creators to leverage AI to streamline the development of XR content. Generative AI can assist developers in designing assets like textures or generating animation and immersive worlds.

Additionally, AI is finding its way onto immersive products with various frontline smartglasses containing voice assistant features and training platforms such as VirtualSpeach leveraging ChatGPT language models for soft skills training.

But recently, XR wild-card Google began leveraging AI frameworks to assist with the development of Project: Starline, a prototype video conferencing device that uses immersive technology.

What is Google’s Project Starline?

With Project Starline, Google aims to redefine remote work by significantly increasing immersion and engagement during video calls.

Google introduced Project Starline during its I/O 2021 developer conference, showcasing how the potential product generates hyper-realistic 3D representations.

The prototype promises to enable more effective remote communications by leveraging immersive technology such as 3D animation, immersive displays, and spatial audio.

The immersive technology stack allows Google to deliver a dynamic video meeting solution potentially.

Google’s Project Starline project aims to create more natural remote conversations. The system makes calls more immersive with a dynamic screen which reacts to a user’s point of view and eye contact support.

Google reports that users calling via the Starline device are likelier to use non-verbal behaviours than those calling via a conventional kit.

The firm found that Starline encourages users to increase their use of hand gestures by 43 percent, head nods by 26 percent, and eyebrow movements by 49 percent.

Google Leverages AI to Fuel Starline

More recently, Google has been aiming to optimise its Starline video conference device by leveraging AI.

Originally, prototype Starline devices were cumbersome products which took up ample space. Now, Starline models are far sleeker in their overall design.

Google achieved this by using AI as a foundation for its 3D rendering model that recreates callers – allowing Google to back the solution into a smaller form factor.

Starline AI systems leverage AI to build a photorealistic digital twin of a caller that the hardware then projects onto a light field display that enables a sense of volume and depth.

Google is not ready to fully unveil its new and improved system yet. Although the firm is currently running an early access program which sees Starline tasted alongside various enterprise end-users, including Salesforce, T-Mobile and WeWork.

Andy White, SVP of Business Technology at Salesforce, added:

Trust and innovation are at the heart of Salesforce’s values. Project Starline has the potential to help create authentic and immersive connections that foster deeper relationships with both our employees and customers, enhance trust and transparency, and drive productivity and efficiency.

Starline represents another emerging solution that immersive technology fuels. It is essential to highlight how immersive technology can bring advancements to enterprise-grade technology without focusing on headsets of immersive worlds.

Projects like Starlights and Sony’s VP push highlight how immersive tech can find a home in various use cases.

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