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A researcher at University of Tsukuba analyzed the evolution of the "Holodeck," the immersive virtual environment depicted in the science fiction series Star Trek. Drawing on this analysis, researchers propose AI Character Media, a new framework for next-generation media in which humans and AI characters share events within a common virtual world, collaborate, develop relationships over time, and experience stories together.

Tsukuba, Japan—Recent advances in generative artificial intelligence (AI), particularly large language models, which underpin many contemporary AI systems, have made natural-language interaction with AI characters increasingly feasible. At the same time, technologies such as virtual reality (VR) and the metaverse have enabled users to enter virtual environments and interact with characters within shared spaces. However, a clear conceptual framework is still lacking for media experiences in which humans and AI characters jointly participate in events, develop relationships, and accumulate shared experiences within a common world.

In this study, researchers used the Holodeck as a conceptual lens for examining the future of interactive media. An analysis of the Holodeck's conceptual evolution over approximately 14 years, from 1987 to 2001, revealed a progression from participation in story worlds to the development of long-term relationships with characters and, ultimately, to persistent living environments in which humans and artificial beings inhabit a shared world. The findings suggest that the Holodeck can be understood as a vision of future VR and as a model of media centered on shared experiences between humans and artificial characters.

Building on this analysis, researchers defined this emerging form of media as AI Character Media and identified four interrelated core concepts—Character, World, Shared Events (events jointly experienced by humans and AI characters), and Story—that provide a conceptual foundation for understanding and designing future AI Character Media. As technologies incorporating aspects of the Holodeck continue to emerge, these findings may contribute to the development of applications across various domains, including entertainment, education, healthcare, and everyday life. In such applications, humans and AI characters could learn, collaborate, develop relationships, and experience events together within shared environments.

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This work was partially supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number 23K25691.

Original Paper

Title of original paper:

The Holodeck Revisited: Foundations for AI Character Media

Journal:

AI & Society

DOI:

10.1007/s00146-026-03282-5

Correspondence

Associate Professor HOSHINO Junichi
Institute of Systems and Information Engineering, University of Tsukuba

Related Link

Institute of Systems and Information Engineering