TSVP Talk: Augment Human Thought and Creativity with the Power of AR and AI by Ryo Suzuki

Title: Augment Human Thought and Creativity with the Power of AR and AI

Speaker: Ryo Suzuki, University of Colorado Boulder​/Tohoku University

Abstract:
Today's AI interfaces are predominantly confined to computer screens, leaving current AI systems unable to engage with and respond to our physical world. My research goal is to shift this paradigm towards a real-world-oriented human-AI interaction, where AI is blended into our everyday lives by seamlessly integrating augmented reality (AR) and AI interfaces. Toward this goal, I have explored three research directions: 1) AI-powered interactive content creation: converting static augmented reality content into interactive ones with AI-powered automated content generation, 2) Machine learning-driven ubiquitous tangible interfaces: transforming everyday objects into ubiquitous tangible interfaces via AR-integrated interactive machine learning, and 3) AI-mediated augmented communication: enhancing human-to-human communication through AI-mediated augmented reality assistant. Building upon these themes, I also outline my future research directions that focus on incorporating recent advances in generative AI, large language models, and advanced computer vision models into intelligent augmented reality interfaces. In the long run, I believe this seamless integration of AR and AI will significantly enhance human thought and creativity, as it allows us to think and collaborate through our entire body and space, rather than confining ourselves into small rectangle screens. My vision is that the future of computers and AI will no longer be a "tool" for thought, but rather a dynamic "space" for thought, where people can live inside and think through tangible and spatial exploration, just like what we do in a science museum today. Toward this vision, I discuss how the future of computing could transform our entire living world into a dynamic space for thought with the power of AR and AI.

Profile:
Ryo Suzuki is an Assistant Professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, ATLAS Institute and Department of Computer Science, where he directs the Programmable Reality Lab. Before joining CU Boulder, he was an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the University of Calgary after earning his PhD from CU Boulder in 2020. His research mission is to enhance human thought and creativity by transforming the entire living environment into a dynamic space for thought, where people can think through tangible and spatial exploration with real objects in the real world, not with virtual objects on screens. Since 2016, he has published more than forty full-papers in top HCI and robotics venues, such as CHI, UIST, IROS, and ICRA, and has received several Best Paper and Honorable Mention Paper awards. He regularly serves as a program committee member for conferences like CHI and UIST. Additionally, he has worked as a visiting researcher at Google AR and Tohoku University. During his PhD, he also gained experience as a research intern at Stanford University, UC Berkeley, the University of Tokyo, Adobe Research, and Microsoft Research. https://ryosuzuki.org/

Language: English

Target audience: General audience/everyone at OIST and beyond.
Freely accessible to all OIST members and guests without registration.

This talk will also be broadcast online via Zoom:
Meeting ID: 993 1216 5065
Passcode: 603487

※ Please note that this event may be recorded and the videos uploaded. In addition, photos may be taken during the event. These are intended for publication online (the OIST website, social media, etc.)※