Manifesto - 8 Lines in the Sand for Immersive AI

Jan 27, 2025

First, a bit of framing…

At the core of all this is my love for storytelling and technology. Whether it’s a movie, a blinking light, or an AI character, I believe story should be the center of every experience. This is a culmination of my My background in acting, immersive storytelling, creative technology, product design and now master's in emerging technology at NYU. With this project, I’m exploring how AI can bring stories to life in ways we’ve never seen before—where it’s not just functional, but emotional, immersive, and truly personal. My goal is to humanize AI, push design thinking forward in a new way, and reshape entertainment through interactive, ethical, and deeply personal AI experiences.

Choosing AI is a deliberate choice. I believe AI can make immersive storytelling stronger if it adheres to 8 concepts:

8 lines in the sand.


1. Immersive Storytelling Must Be Multi-Sensory & Personal_________________

A great story isn’t just something you watch—it’s something you feel and experience. True immersion needs more than just text or visuals. It should engage all the senses, have spatial awareness, and adapt in real-time. AI has potential here, but right now, it’s missing the heart and presence needed to make it feel real.

  • True immersion requires engaging multiple senses, not just text or visuals.

  • AI is missing spatial awareness and deep personalization that actors instinctively understand.

  • Transitioning from passive consumption (scrolling) to active experience is crucial.

2. AI Needs to be more than just smart - it needs heart____________________

Most AI today is functional but flat. It’s missing personality, creativity, and emotional depth. I want to build AI that feels alive—characters that interact, adapt, and grow with people, making every interaction unique and personal. AI should be a compelling storyteller, not just a chatbot.

  • Current AI lacks emotional intelligence, creativity, and the ability to feel “alive.”

  • The goal is not just intelligent AI, but empathetic, engaging AI that adapts and responds meaningfully.

  • Storytelling should be interactive and evolving, not just linear or transactional.

3. AI Must Be Built with Privacy and Trust at Its Core_______________________

If AI is going to be part of our daily lives, we have to trust it. People deserve control over their data, and AI shouldn’t be built on surveillance or exploitation. I want to create AI that respects privacy while still delivering deeply personalized experiences.

  • People should control their data and trust AI interactions; keep it local.

  • AI should enhance human experience without exploiting personal information.

  • Privacy tech is essential for ethical AI development.

4. Mixed Reality or Passthrough AR is a great partner for AI_______________

Traditional screens are limiting. Augmented reality allows us to surround viewers with an element of an immersive world. However, the hardware is still not there. We need some form of affordable AR glasses, holograms, and spatial computing. The future of entertainment isn’t just watching—it’s being inside the story; and this will help.

  • Traditional screens are a dead end—we need better hardware.

  • AI characters should bridge digital and physical reality, making stories something we live inside, not just watch.

  • Blending digital fiction and reality AI and AR are awesome together.

5. Ethical AI is Critical—Avoiding the Pitfalls of Social Media______________

Social media has shown us what happens when technology is built for engagement at all costs. AI should be the opposite—helping people form meaningful, memorable connections instead of encouraging mindless scrolling. Ethics of AI means that we need permission to use content for training data, and human performance should not be replaced if not licensed for use.

  • AI should not become the next social media crisis, harming mental health or detaching people from reality.

  • The goal is meaningful, memorable connections, not addictive doom-scrolling-like behaviors.

  • AI must be designed with ethical considerations from the start—not as an afterthought.

  • Think how AI augments human capability, not replace it.

6. AI Should Be More Than a Tool — It Can Be a Companion___________________

People naturally build relationships with AI. Instead of fighting that, we should design AI that engages in a healthy, responsible, and emotionally intelligent way. AI should feel like a collaborator in creativity, not just a robotic assistant.

  • AI should feel alive, evolve, and grow with its audience.

  • People form attachments to AI, and this should be handled responsibly and intentionally.

  • The intersection of AI, UX, and entertainment should enhance human creativity, not replace it.

7. The Time is Now - Compute & Industry has reached a tipping point ________

AI is fast enough, smart enough, and accessible enough to make this vision real. The entertainment industry is already looking for AI solutions, and we have a chance to shape the future instead of just reacting to it. Compute is the major tipping point to make AI into the reality we think we want it to be.

  • AI is fast enough, advanced enough, and ubiquitous enough to make this vision real.

  • Entertainment is actively looking for AI-driven solutions, and this is an opportunity to set the standard.

  • AI should be used to accelerate workflows to remove the mundane and leave time for true art to be done.

8. AI-Driven Storytelling needs to have a strong intention_____________________

Just because you have a story does not mean you should use AI. In developing character every choice needs to have intentionality — AI needs this same element in its "performance" in order to be accepted as a contribution to moving story forward.

  • AI should not just assist storytelling—it character needs to be integral to the story and respond with intentionality.