Ever wish you could send an avatar to attend a meeting that could’ve been an email? With the evolution of generative AI tools, that might be a reality sooner than you think. Having studied the psychological and social impact of VR, online games, and virtual worlds for decades, Dr. Robby Ratan can envision a day when avatars could become not just passive participants in a meeting, but agents of representation that could act on our behalf. “Your avatar’s nodding along with whoever's speaking, taking notes and multitasking during the meeting, while you're doing something else,” says Ratan, Director of the Social and Psychological Approaches to Research on Technology-Interaction Effects (SPARTIE) Lab at Michigan State. “You've left the meeting entirely. You're in five meetings at a time. And afterwards the AI could send you a summary of what...