Anime looks to enter the mainstream across the globe.
“If you want to predict the future, build it.” This could be a quote from a science fiction film, but they are, in fact, the words of boundary-pushing technology entrepreneur Michael Lin. He is not alone in big, bold, and progressive proclamations directed towards a future not born from technology but with technology.
The Millennial Manifesto, created by the Global Shapers Community, states, “We will listen and learn from one another – past, present, and future. We will respect the global context and that all parts of the world co-exist. We will test, iterate, and improve our approach to become better leaders and ancestors. We will ask big questions to advance bold solutions.”
Entrusting youth with technology growth is significant, according to a Berkman Klein Center at Harvard University report in 2019 titled "Youth and Artificial Intelligence: Where We Stand." Part of the conclusion suggests, “Youths need to be empowered to become designers of the digital future. Failing to do so means neglecting to cultivate a generation of stewards of future technology.”
Barry Chudakov, founder and principal at Sertain Research, describes the new frontier of limitless creative opportunity. “Taking and evolving simulation and virtual representation from the gaming world, digital spaces will morph from apps and social media platforms into mirror worlds – the metaverse and ‘the third platform,’ which will digitize the rest of the world,” he says. “All things and places will be machine-readable, subject to the power of algorithms.”
These so-called algorithms altering the course of our present and future also include elements of gameplay and character development best expressed by the anime sector.
Anime Industry
The anime industry is doubling at an eye-watering pace. Worth over $26 billion in 2022, it is projected to increase to $56 billion in 2030. Lin’s work brings anime characters and others into the third dimension, with nothing more needed than a phone and the ability to stream. A desire to interact with characters in real time has led to the potential to revolutionize medical exams, elderly care, and suicide prevention at universities.
Lin grew up playing video games and watching anime, specifically Pokemon. Like many from the Pokemon craze, Lin’s involvement centered on the characters. “My dream was to one day interact with these virtual entities. Whether through games, comic books, or novels, characters we connect with can have a big impact on us,” says Lin.
Lin was at The University of Southern California (USC) for one semester before transferring to Cambridge University in the U.K. to complete his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. During these formative collegiate experiences, Lin confronted the bounds of his creativity and tolerance for shame.
“In school, I played with the idea of bringing virtual characters to life. Users of the program had to wear a camera on their heads as a prototype. My peers and professors laughed, but I knew I was on to something,” says Lin.
The Oculus launched the year that Lin left the University of Southern California (USC) for Cambridge.
“It was an exciting time in the AI industry, so I wanted to be a part of it. I joined Magic Leap and developed our first game, ‘Wonder X,’” says Lin.
The effort was self-funded and served as the opening act of what is now Wonderverse, a part of Wonders.ai. “We experimented with humans interacting with full-size virtual characters.,” he adds.
After two years of research and development integrating humans with full-size virtual characters, Wonderverse launches this year. It is a mobile platform that allows users to interface with characters. Lin is partnering with v-tuber (virtual tubers) agencies and slowly releasing the technology behind the platform.
V-Tube Traction
The v-tuber trend continues to gain steam from a faction of fans between YouTube and Twitch. In short, v-tubers play video games with the illusion of a character. A real person is behind a virtual mask controlling gameplay, giving the audience the illusion that a character is playing the game.
To this point in the evolution of technology, v-tubers compete with each other through creative content that is short on quantity providing an opening for Lin and his venture. “They [gamers] are creatively bankrupt, limited by working in two dimensions, and that is where we come in,” smiles Lin.
Michael Lin, CEO, and founder of Wonders.ai is fast-tracking the anime space into mainstream ... [+]
The Wonderverse allows v-tubers to generate new types of streaming content, whether augmented reality (AR) or virtual (VR). When they are not streaming, their followers can still interact with the clone Lin and his team created at any time of day. “The only technology a user needs is a phone,” says Lin.
Wonders.ai collaborated for a concert where v-tubers performed and sang for a virtual audience. Currently, guests look at a screen to see themselves interacting with the character, but next year AR glasses will change that, according to Lin. “They (guests) will be able to see the character before them just as if they were real.”
Education Sector
A deep curiosity for the subject of AI has driven Lin to expand beyond the initial and glitzy entertainment value of engaging popular characters into settings steeped in physical reality.
“I had to find an environment that could nurture that passion. Personally, I found the infrastructure of the educational system a challenge because it was hard to express my opinion and collaborate with like-minded people. But, I guess those challenges positively impact my current desire to support education as a sector,” shares Lin.
As EdTech continues to evolve and incorporate more digital and actively engaging experiences, so too has the official position of federal guideposts.
Part of the official statement by the Office of Educational Technology at the United States Department of Education (USDOE) reads, “AI, machine learning, and related technologies will have powerful impacts on learning not only through direct supports for students but also by empowering educators to be more adaptive to learner needs and less consumed by routine, repetitive tasks. The statement adds, “There is little question that we need innovative approaches in education and that AI will be a major new capability that allows innovation. Simply put, we will be able to do things that we have never done before!”
Lin has turned his focus on pre-kindergarten-age children of about 3-5 years old. For example, during the pandemic, when kids were stuck at home, and their parents were busy working, Lin partnered with a Taiwanese chain of kindergartens to provide a virtual character to dance with the children and teach them English.
Patents and Expansion
Patenting is an aspect of Lin’s pursuits. In addition to efforts to patent technologies in the education sector, Lin also has patents pending in the medical field. In medical training, doctors undergo an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE), where an actor pretends to be a patient, and the student evaluates their diagnosis and treatment. AI creates a virtual patient, which cuts costs by a third for universities. Early efforts aim to automate the evaluation process and Lin plans on being an early player.
The Taiwanese government shares a similar vision with Wonders.ai and Lin on solutions for the elderly in healthcare settings. The collaboration would implement systems that detect physical symptoms or movement problems and report them to the doctor, as well as provide a virtual connection with loved ones.
The argument of man vs. machine may have already been settled beyond the augmented environment of a schoolyard fight. Research denotes the sheer and almost complete assimilation between young people and smartphones, with findings suggesting that 95% of Millennials have smartphones.
Pew Research quotes Jerome Glenn, co-founder, and CEO of the Millennium Project, as someone firmly committed to the overlapping relationship between humans and technology.
“As humans and machines become linked more closely, the distinction between the two entities will blur. Conscious technology will force us to confront fundamental questions about life,” says Glenn.
Lin is of the generation that sees engaging and assistive applications of AI to support not just one generation but the entire lifespan, from kindergarten students to the elderly.
As Lin says, “If you want to predict the future, build it.” It sounds like construction has already begun.
Interviews have been edited and condensed for clarity.
