The Third Engawa AI x XR Is on September 12! Let's Talk About AI and XR
The third "Engawa AI x XR" will take place on Saturday, September 12, so this post is an announcement for it. I'll cover what kind of event it will be, as well as some reflections and adjustments based on what we learned from the previous session.
One change is the event title. Until last time, we had chosen a separate title for each event in addition to the series name. Starting this time, though, we're simply calling it "Engawa AI x XR #3 @ Motoyawata." In the end, everyone just calls it "Engawa," so I decided this would make things clearer.
After the Previous Session, and a Few Changes
There are a few other changes as well. Or rather, this was already different at the previous session. For the "phantom first session" that never happened, we had planned the event for 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM. Last time, however, we ran it from 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM. That feels long for a talk event, but short for a hackathon. Since we're aiming for something in between, three hours might be just right.
After trying it last time, I became more confident that this schedule is about right. If there are fewer topics, we may finish earlier; if everyone wants to keep going, we might head out for drinks somewhere nearby.
The next change starts with this session. Last time, we split the event into three parts: time for talks, time to hack on ideas that came up in the talks, and a final time to share what people had made. I separated the parts because I thought it would be unfair to the speaker if people got absorbed in their work during a talk, so it seemed best to set aside a dedicated listening time.
But when we actually held the event, there were only a few participants, and whenever someone started talking, everyone naturally listened. The venue also didn't have the tense atmosphere of a formal talk, so I no longer think we need to separate the parts.
In practice, talks and hacking blended together chaotically, and sometimes a talk would begin while someone was in the middle of trying something out. So we're going to make it a combined Talk & Hack session, and if there is anything to share at the end, we'll present it then.
As an aside, because it was the first session, I was motivated and prepared snacks. But surprisingly, not many people ate them, so I may rethink that. There are things you only learn by actually trying them.
What I'd Like to Do at the Third Session
We did not get to talk much about Codex Micro last time, so I'd like to make it the subject of a talk this time. I bought one, but I have not made the most of it yet. In particular, I have not used the talk button, so I do not yet know how useful it is. I plan to experiment with it before the event and report back.
If time permits, I'd also like to talk about Codex Build Week, which I joined. By then, the results will probably have been announced, so perhaps we can look at the winning projects together. The project gallery, where you can browse projects from people who submitted entries, is already available at the link below.
There were 46,748 participants, but 8,015 people actually submitted projects. I think this gallery will be an invaluable source of inspiration for projects made in a week with today's generative AI. There should be plenty of hints to discover.
Of course, we're also looking for talks from other participants. A lightning talk you have given before is fine, and it is also fine to simply share a URL for us to display without creating slides. Presentations like "I made this" are welcome too, so please feel free to give a talk. Stories of things you tried are very welcome as well. What feels obvious to you is often not obvious to other participants. I hope we can share our work and survive this rapidly changing moment together.
Event Details
Here are the details for "Engawa AI x XR #3 @ Motoyawata." Please feel free to join us. If you do not think you can attend, try joining the Discord first.
- Event name: Engawa AI x XR #3 @ Motoyawata
- Date and time: Saturday, September 12, 2:00 PM–5:00 PM (doors open at 1:30 PM)
- Schedule
- 1:30 PM: Doors open
- 2:00 PM: Introduction
- 2:15 PM: Talk & Hack (talk about topics, try out things discussed in the talks, and more)
- (Now accepting submissions)
- We are currently looking for AI/XR-related topics. Either AI-only or XR-only topics are welcome.
- Ask in the "Talk Session" channel on Discord.
- (Now accepting submissions)
- Around 4:30 PM: Sharing
- 5:50 PM: Information about the next session and closing
- Venue
- Coworking Space co,do
- https://moto8.jp/codo_motoyawata/
- Motoppachi 1F, 3-7-2 Yawata, Ichikawa, Chiba 272-0021, Japan
- Admission
- ¥1,000 (Register here)
- Hashtag
#engawa_ai_xr