Virtual reality can dramatically alter how we perceive ourselves — and even how we treat others.
And artificial intelligence, when fed enough data, can correctly identify something dramatic — and a little private — about how we see ourselves.
It’s time to better understand the mind.
In this episode of The Abstract, we dive into two mind-expanding pieces of research.
Our first story is about how virtual reality can change the human brain to make people more empathetic. Some of us have less capacity for empathy than others, but virtual reality therapy could change that. We’ll hear from neuroscientists who have discovered how the feelings of embodiment experienced in VR can positively affect feelings of connection to a virtual character. And that can translate to feelings of connection to real people.
Our second story reports on how artificial intelligence was shown to correctly predict something we think about privately — our own self-image. A.I. was shown in new research to identify a person’s self-described personality from their selfie alone. Scientists hope human personality perception can one-day help A.I improve human-to-human and A.I.-to-human interactions.
Read the original Inverse stories here:
- Does virtual reality have the power to change abusers?
- A.I. can now correctly predict something we think about privately
Where to find us:
- Subscribe to The Abstract wherever you listen to podcasts: iTunes | Spotify | TuneIn | RadioPublic | Stitcher
- Follow Sarah Wells on Twitter
- Follow Inverse on Twitter
- We're hosted and produced by Tanya Bustos
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Right now, facts and science matter more than ever. That's part of the reason for The Abstract, this all-new podcast from the Inverse staff that focuses exclusively on science and innovation. Three new episodes are released a week, and each covers one theme via two related stories. Each features audio of original Inverse reporting, where the facts and context take center stage. It's hosted by the Tanya Bustos of WSJ Podcasts. Because we're Inverse, it's all true but slightly off-kilter. It's made for people who want to know the whole story. —Nick Lucchesi, executive editor, Inverse
