Last year, we hosted the Mixed Reality Hackathon for students of the London College of Communication, University of the Arts London. As visiting practitioners, we shared our professional experiences with the participants. The hackathon focused on incorporating as many AI services as possible into content production. While ethical considerations around AI are important, we strongly believe that everyone working in creative industries today should gain direct experience with these systems to understand their potential and limitations.

During the hackathon, each student was tasked with creating a simple environment featuring a moving character based on a personal keyword. Together, we built the skybox, near-plane objects, far-plane objects, characters, animations, and additional textures using free tiers of various generative AI services. Following the same guidelines as the students, we explored the process alongside them. It was remarkable to see how we could go from having no prior experience or content to creating a simple XR interactive piece within roughly eight hours.

While much of the current conversation around generative AI focuses on video and film, we believe 3D and spatial assets are the real “holy grail.” These assets are inherently cross-media, fully reusable, and therefore more sustainable. The advancements in this field are progressing rapidly, and it’s an exciting space to explore.

Traditionally, the technical aspects of working with 3D objects, such as UV mapping, topology, and decimating, have been a challenge. However, with these tools, we can now shift our focus toward narratives, stories, and creating engaging experiences for users.