[MUSIC] >> Good morning and
welcome to Ignite. I want to start by
saying a big thank you. In this unprecedented,
complicated, and very hard year, you have helped the world overcome the most
unimaginable constraints. Your hard work, combined with
today's digital technology, is helping fuel our
global economy and society in one of its greatest
moments of needs, so thank you. Without that
tenacity, resilience, and the work each of you, as IT professionals, developers,
system administrators, data analysts and professionals
across every function, I even shudder to think
where we would be, but for your work. So I am deeply, deeply
grateful, and thank you. The past year has brought the most significant change in our society and economy
in modern history. The Cloud has
been key to helping the world not only
adapt but innovate. We witnessed a second wave
of digital transformation, sweeping every company
in every industry, from health care to digital
twins in manufacturing, to remote work and learning
across organizations. In every industry,
we're accelerating their digital initiatives to
build resilience and transform. The true test of
technology has always been whether it can
help organizations improve their time to value, increase agility,
and reduce costs. But as the world recovers, it will require much
more from technology, and the Cloud in particular, to help address our most
pressing challenges and ensure that nobody
is left behind. Over a decade ago, we declared we were all-in on
the Cloud because we understood its transformational promise
and the opportunity it would create for every organization. Today, it's time for us to reflect on how the
Cloud will change over the next decade, and the innovation our changing world will require
from the Cloud. We will need to foundationally
transform how Cloud can drive the next level of broad economic growth that
everyone can participate in. To accomplish this, there are five key attributes that will drive this next generation
of innovation in the Cloud. First, ubiquitous and
decentralized computing. Every organization, small or
large, in every industry, in every country will require more ubiquitous and more
decentralized compute power. We are going through a radical change in computing
architecture, from the materials to
semiconductors to the systems, from the Cloud to its edge. The result of all this will be continued exponential
growth in compute capacity. However, we are at peak
centralization right now, as computing becomes embedded
everywhere in our world, transforming how we interact
with people, places, and things. As physical and digital
worlds converge, we will require more sovereignty
and decentralized control. Cloud and Edge computing
will evolve to meet all of these
real-world needs. Second, sovereign data
and ambient intelligence. The volume, variety,
and velocity of data will go through explosive
growth in the Cloud, and in particular, at the Edge, driving that decentralized
architecture of compute I just talked about. In this world, data will be
more private, more sovereign. Data governance and providence
will take on new importance. Large-scale, multi-modal models will become first-class platforms
onto themselves, creating that ambient
intelligence all around us. We will develop new methods of federated machine
learning to drive the next generation
of personalized, and yet, privacy
preserving services. Business logic will move
from being code that is written to being code that
is learned from data, creating a complete,
new generation of business process and
productivity systems. We will also see this new
software to our approach being foundational to tackling these
massive unsolved challenges, from personalized medicine
to carbon recapture. In the AI we create, using all this enormous
power of the Cloud, we will look for
increasing levels of predictive and analytical
power, common sense reasoning, alignment with
human preferences, and perhaps most importantly,
augmenting human capability. Third, empowered creators
and communities everywhere. Our economy will find a new balance between
consumption and creation. In the last decade, we saw several
tech advances that drove more consumption
from browsing, more shopping,
more binge-watching, and behind all
of this is creation. We believe the next decade
will require technology advances that radically
democratize creation. We will need to expand access to
skills, tools, and platforms, as well as connections
and collaboration across communities so that
everyone can create, whether it's building
a virtual world, students working on an assignment with
short-form videos, knowledge workers creating
formulas and spreadsheets, pro-developers writing
code or domain experts using local tools to
build applications. This democratization of creation will drive new innovation
in end-user computing. Form and function of our devices will be
reimagined across the stack, from silicon to the
operating system to the experiences themselves. These computing experiences
will be further amplified by communities
that learn from each other, build on each other, and further amplify and
accelerate creation. Fourth, expanded
economic opportunity for every member of
the global workforce. We need to create these
continuous feedback loops between the work, skills, learning, and
credentials required, both for the jobs of
today and tomorrow. We need to define productivity
much more broadly, inclusive of
collaboration, learning, and well-being to drive career
advancement for every worker, including frontline
and knowledge workers, as well as for new graduates and those who are in
the workforce today. All this needs to be done
with flexibility in when, where, and how people work. Fifth, trust by design. Fundamentally, a
technology provider should succeed only when it helps the world
around it succeed. No one wants to
build technology that rapidly scales but breaks
the world around us, and no customer wants to be
dependent on a provider that sells them technology
on one end and competes with them on the other. We need to have ethical
principles govern the design, development, and
deployment of AI. Our technology needs
to be secure by design and promote zero trust
architectural principles. We need to build technology with the design intent to protect the fundamental
rights of all people, including privacy, and strengthening
these institutions we all depend on for our
livelihoods and well-being. We need tech advancements that protect our most finite
resource, our planet. Every organization will need to harness these five
attributes to build their own digital tech
intensity so they can create proprietary
technology required to generate durable
competitive advantage. They will need not only
to adopt technology, but build their own technology. These Cloud
advances are what will enable every organization,
in every sector, to create that broad
economic surplus in every community,
in every country; a Cloud that helps small businesses become
more productive, multinationals more competitive,
non-profits more effective, and governments more efficient, that improves healthcare
and educational outcomes, amplifies human ingenuity, and allows people everywhere
to reach higher. This is what the
Microsoft Cloud delivers, and it underlies everything
we will show you this week. The Microsoft Cloud is built to accelerate your transformation
today and going forward. There is no better
example of this than the rapid changes
we've seen over the past year in how people
use technology to communicate, to collaborate, and create. For those of us who have had the privilege of
working from home, digital technology has
made it possible. For those who need to
be at the workplace, including the many essential
frontline workers, technology has helped
them keep our society and economy functioning in the
midst of this pandemic. As the world recovers,
there's no going back. Employee expectations
are changing, and flexibility will be key. That's why we are
building Microsoft Teams as an organizing layer, for all the ways we work:
the modes of communication, collaboration,
and the ability to extend it with other
apps and services. With Teams, we are
ensuring that people can collaborate inside and
outside the organization, that they can learn in the
context of their work, and that they can retain and
build new social capital. We're empowering both frontline
and knowledge workers to work together in new ways. We want to ensure everyone can be seen and be heard
and fully participate, whether they are at
home, in a meeting room, at the office, or at
the factory floor. For example, just
imagine joining a meeting remotely
and being able to see everyone in the room
as though you were seated at the conference
table with them. Imagine if you were able to draw on the same whiteboard together, and imagine if
you're always able to identify who's speaking while
maintaining eye contact. That's some of what you will
see today when we talk about what's coming next for
Microsoft 365 and Teams. We'll also see the digital
and physical worlds come together with mixed reality
to help people stay connected when they are apart. A year ago, we
shipped HoloLens 2. It's been amazing to see the ingenuity of people
and businesses everywhere applying this
technology to transcend space and address complex
challenges in their industries. Take Dr. Michael Marin, a vascular surgeon at Mount
Sinai Hospital in New York City. A world away, in eastern Uganda, communities haven't had access
to advanced medical care. But now, using HoloLens 2, along with Dynamics 365
Remote Assist and Teams, Dr. Marin is able to coach a surgeon doing a
complex procedure, 7,000 miles away in real time, expanding access to
specialized knowledge and resources and overcoming
disparities in care. We've also seen
frontline workers around the world using mixed
reality to learn new skills, advance their careers, and
drive productivity gains. At Kruger paper
mill in Montreal, employees have used HoloLens
2 and Dynamics 365 guides to learn on the job. The impact has
been transformational. Donald Souci, who worked
at the Mill for 30 years, has been able to capture all of the longstanding
workplace wisdom and institutional knowledge and
pass it on to new colleagues, accelerating the on-boarding
process and helping them take on complex
tasks faster than ever. Because information is
delivered holographically, right where the work happens, Kruger has been able to improve employee safety and avoid
production slowdowns. These examples are just
the beginning of what's possible when you
connect the bits we build with the atoms
of the real world. Today, we're thrilled
to take that next step, announcing a new mixed reality
platform, Microsoft Mesh. Think about what Xbox
Live did for gaming. We went from single
player to multiplayer, creating communities that help people connect and
achieve together. Now, just imagine if the same thing happened
with mixed reality. Mesh enables you to interact
holographically with others, with true presence,
in a natural way. For example, I can join a birthday celebration with
my extended family in India, interacting as if
we were physically together without any
screens between us. Or I can meet my colleagues
on the other side of the world collaborating as
though we were in the same room, again, with no screen
mediating our interactions. It's pretty mind
boggling to imagine, but this is the future
we're building. One of my favorite lines
we used to describe the possibilities when we
first introduced HoloLens was, when you change the
way you see the world, you change the world you see. I can't wait to see the
world we create together. Now, let me turn it over to
Alex Kipman to start us off. Thank you all very much, and have a fantastic Ignite. [MUSIC] >> Tomorrow stands a chance to be even better than today, thanks to one thing. When you fall under its spell, even though words may allude you, you'll race to the
rooftops to share it. It's a force that draws us to each other, the glue that holds us together, the siren that beckons
others to join us. It's a feeling that's eternally optimistic and forever inquisitive. Asking, what if? Why not? How soon? [MUSIC] It beckons us to explore and break new ground. [MUSIC] It gives us depth and breadth
to our understanding. It helps us see perspectives outside of our homes, it's the indestructible sense
of wonder inside each of us. With it, the aspiration to share a world far greater than ourselves. [MUSIC] >> A dream dream alone
is only a dream. A dream we dream together
is called reality. When you have a dream,
chances are there's someone else right over there
and there and there, who share the same dream. But each of us dreaming it
just a little bit differently. The process of collaborating
with others is how we discover the little different bits, the excitement and the energy. The diverse skills and viewpoints
that bring everyone together. When we share in a dream, everyone can be equally excited, equally motivated, and perhaps even equally consumed by the shared dream. But we tend to think of reality in dreaming as separate?
But are they really? Today is about showing
how we can help transport dreams from here to there, out into the world without compromise exactly as
they were imagined. When they are there, we can share them with others
to explore and communicate, to mold and collaborate,
to enjoy together. This is a new way to dream
in a new type of computing, one that makes dreams
a shared reality. To accelerate this
collaborative computing future, I am proud to welcome all
of you to Microsoft Mesh. Today, you and I make
history as we collaborate on the largest mixed reality
show ever created. Microsoft Mesh connects the
physical and the digital worlds, allowing us to transcend the traditional boundaries
of space and time. Microsoft Mesh is
powered by Azure and all of its AI and
compute capabilities, working seamlessly together from the intelligent edge to
the intelligent cloud. It promises to take us to
brand new frontiers by enabling developers to create
rich and immersive experiences. Experiences that let us, one, connect from anywhere. All of us sharing every
moment and every hologram, across augmented reality,
virtual reality, and even traditional 2D devices. Two, Microsoft Mesh will give us agency from avatars
to Holoportations, letting us feel true
presence in mixed reality. Lastly, Microsoft Mesh
will let us experience mixed reality together in
instinctual and collaborative ways. Microsoft Mesh is integrated
with the Microsoft Cloud, so workflows naturally
transition from the familiar 2D mediums to
the world of mixed reality. Which by the way, brings me to
this amazing underwater scene. Thank you by the way for creating this incredible and
inspiring underwater world. I mean, look at it. It's wow. Did you have fun doing it? As your host, I cannot express
how energizing it is to see each of you expressing all
of your emotions with holograms. Microsoft Mesh will empower you and your businesses to learn, to play, to work together naturally, no matter the task, no matter the location.
Let's take a look. [MUSIC] >> Connection is a spark that
gives our lives meaning. It drives us to seek out
others who feel the same way. >> Okay, why don't you input the data and we'll
take a look together? Hey [inaudible] ,
what you got for me? >> To find those who share our views and offer
different perspectives. [FOREIGN] >> Look over here. >> Challenge us with
new ways of seeing, deepen our understanding
and enrich our lives. [FOREIGN] >> Great things happen when we commit to something
bigger than ourselves. >> Take a closer look at it. >> Place this here. Let's see how we go from there, okay? >> This sense of collaboration and the feelings of connection that brings; excites us. >> Hey, just in time. I'm going to move it slightly, okay? >> That's yours, take it. >> We have two planes right
now on the same trajectory. >> As we put people first, technology fades into the background
and feels like anything but, >> Asia, what do you think? >> I think if we had
330 maintaining 2,800, we'll be clear for approach. >> Excellent. >> This changes the
way we see the world. In turn, changes the world we see. >> These numbers are
looking great, Ashley. >> This promising possibilities and what we see and create next
will stretch the imagination. >> Good morning, Sarah. >> Good morning. >> Slowly coming towards the thumb. >> A world without boundaries. >> Good job, a lot
better than yesterday. >> Yeah. >> Excellent, slowly
bring [inaudible]. >> A world where technology
enhances, not limits, humanity. [MUSIC] With people front, center, and in the spotlight, the future is here, and here can be anywhere. Introducing Microsoft Mesh. >> Envision a world where Mesh-enabled
applications from our partners and from Microsoft fuel this generation's
collaborative computing needs. Envision a Mesh-enabled
Microsoft Teams where colleagues from
around the globe can collaborate as if they're
physically there. In a world of hybrid work where
here can literally be anywhere and headquarters are no longer tied
to a single physical location, Mesh will allow organizations to host mixed reality gatherings with
everyone in the same room. Envision a Mesh-enabled Dynamics 365; people will be able to learn
together from anywhere, sharing the common perspectives so critical when
learning complex topics. Envision frontline workers and
how they will have access to remote experts everywhere
they're needed, sharing insights quickly
and effectively, ultimately keeping people safer
and resolving issues faster. Microsoft Mesh builds upon
our mixed reality services which have seen incredible
developer adoption. Today, I am really excited to announce the public preview
of Azure Object Anchors and general availability
of Azure Remote Rendering. To all of our supporters, partners, and fans around the world, thank you. We started this journey together
and it's because of you, your great feedback and
your enthusiasm that we are experiencing such great
mixed reality momentum. Today, in manufacturing,
retail, and healthcare, over 90 percent of companies
with more than 500 employees are currently using or
prototyping with mixed reality, and half of the Fortune 500 companies have now purchased HoloLens 2. Leading brands such
as Mercedes, Intel, Airbus, and L'Oreal have deployed XScale HoloLens 2 powered solutions. Across industries, the
numbers speak for themselves. Take Lockheed Martin. Lockheed Martin has reduced their touch
labor by 90 percent. What used to take an
eight-hour shift to complete, can now be done
error-free in 45 minutes. Take Toyota. Toyota has embraced HoloLens, Dynamics 365 Remote Assist, and our mixed reality
services to improve maintenance efficiency and to
differentiate on customer service. Their most recent mixed
reality solution enables technicians to intuitively
access via Azure Object Anchors, wiring and structure information of specific car models while
working on the actual vehicle. As a result, this is
reducing the timespan doing inspections by
as much as 20 percent. A significant return on investment, which has them rolling out this HoloLens 2 solution to all of
their dealerships across Japan. Take Bentley Systems
as another example. Bentley Systems is a global leader
in software for architecture, engineering and construction,
and they're using HoloLens 2 and our mixed reality services
to improve bridge inspections. In the United States alone, there are more than 600,000 bridges, a key part of the infrastructure
that keeps our country running. Using drones to capture
high resolution images, Bentley can create precise
digital twins for the bridge. Now because details matter,
when doing inspections, Bentley is using Azure
Remote Rendering to enable real-time high
fidelity renderings, allowing multiple experts to view large sections of the bridge
all at the same time. Leveraging this Bentley
solution on a HoloLens device, inspectors at Collins Engineers can visualize sections of the bridge. They can add spatial notes,
annotations, dimensions, or other markings to provide detailed contextual
information for the structure, and in the process, they can save 40 percent of labor costs for each
inspection they make. Local and state government
agencies can follow in the footsteps of the Minnesota
Department of Transportation, who is working with
Collins Engineers to save an estimated four
million dollars per year, savings that can be repurposed to fix even more of their
aging infrastructure. When Mesh-enabled, all of these
solutions can now be transformed from solitary to collaborative
mixed reality experiences. Mixed reality experiences, well, you'll have the freedom to use
the device of your choice, because Mesh will work on HoloLens 2, Windows virtual reality headsets, Oculus headsets, PCs, Macs, and even smart phones. Take Accenture as an example. They are experimenting
with hybrid workflows, that increase accessibility,
champion remote collaboration, and encourage sustainability by
minimizing unnecessary travel. With a Mesh-enabled Altspace, Accenture is evolving
their employee experience by creating a headquarters, they call it the Nth Floor. Now this is available for
everyone, for onboarding, learning, and the type of human connection we are
all missing right now. With Altspace, everyone knows, the "Nth Floor" is just a tap away. But what happens when you
go beyond the enterprise? Collaboration doesn't just take
place in enterprise settings, sometimes we just call it
hanging out with friends. With Microsoft Mesh you can connect from any device on any platform, transforming the way we
connect to one another, enabling hanging out
wherever your friends are. When here can be anywhere, the entire planet
becomes your playground. Many companies are exploring
and experimenting with this notion of experiencing
mixed reality together. But I think we can all agree
that there is one company that sends out with its real
world AR experiences. I have been a huge fan of
Niantic for a very long time. I just love their ambition to
build planet-scale AR experiences, experiences that connect people
from all over the world. To share more about their vision, please welcome CEO and Founder
of Niantic, John Hanke. >> Thanks Alex. I'm
thrilled to be here and to hear all about the latest
innovations in AI and mixed reality. We share a common aspiration to use technology to bridge the digital
world with the physical one. From the very beginning, our work at Niantic has been designed to inspire people to get outside, play, and explore together. Underpinning this mission
is our ongoing effort to create the tools and technology to connect the real world, the atoms, and the digital one, the bits, to create magical experiences. Our games had already encouraged hundreds of millions of people
to explore the world together. In fact, most people's
first AR experience was probably Pokemon Go. Since launching it 2016, we've seen massive
numbers of people around the world connect through the game, ranging from families
exploring their neighborhood, to tens of thousands gathering in our events to play and
celebrate together. We're incredibly motivated
by the stories we hear from Niantic explorers about how a game
has helped them feel happier, healthier, and better connected to one another and to their
local communities. This gives us reason to feel
optimistic that technology and AR in particular can be channeled to make a positive impact on the world. As exciting as this journey's been, we're even more excited about
the next phase as we think about bringing these experiences to
future generations of AR hardware, and that brings us to
why we're here today. We share a common vision
with Microsoft for creating real social connections
in a digitally-enhanced world. We're excited to be
collaborating with Microsoft in this area to move
the industry forward. >> That's right, John. By
marrying our industry leading HoloLens devices and our
new Mesh capabilities with Niantic's market
leading applications, we can give people entirely new ways to interact
with each other and the world. >> We've already started working
on what this might look like, and we're excited to show a proof of concept demo of Pokemon
Go on HoloLens. This is not intended
for consumer use yet, but it gives you a glimpse into the amazing possibilities
when we combine advanced AR with exploration and social gameplay in
the real world. [MUSIC] >> Thanks Alex. I'm here in the gardens
at Lake Merritt. >> This is so great, it's like I'm actually here, John. >> Welcome. This is amazing, and it's what I'm so excited about. Enabling friends to play and explore the world together no
matter where they are. I'm going to have a look around. >> I'm excited to join
you in this adventure. >> There're quite a few
Pokemon appearing around here, let's take a walk. Whether you're exploring
a brand new park, or just walking through
a familiar neighborhood, augmented reality can make the
real world a little more magical. In the future, we imagine a real
world filled with adventures, helpful information, and of
course, a lot of friends. [MUSIC] Hey, Pikachu. Here you go. AR that's grounded in the real world, aware of us and the environment, is an incredibly
powerful starting point, and it becomes even more
powerful when we can share it. Someone I know is here now. [MUSIC] Hey, Veronica. >> Hi, John. Do you want to battle? >> I don't know,
Veronica, this usually doesn't end well for
me, but I'm game. >> What's important
is to never give up, even if you lose. Let's get ready. >> Let's go. >> This battle is
going to take a while. Thank you, John, and
thank you, Veronica. I'm so excited for our
Niantic partnership. Great things happen when we commit to something
bigger than ourselves. Our shared sense of collaboration and the feeling of human connection in
brains inspires me. I get inspired and motivated about opportunities where we
can add our energy and capabilities to empower people and organizations around the globe
to achieve their missions, and when the mission at
hand has global benefit, benefit that impacts
environmental understanding, conservation, and global ecology. Not to mention, has deep
impacting education in science. I'm not only inspired by it, but also proud to be
part of the journey. It is with that pride that I like to invite Dr. Edith Widder and Dr. Vincent Pieribone to tell us their stories as they pushed to understand one of the least explored, most mysterious, and
most essential worlds we have ever known, our oceans. Dr. Edith Widder is a Biologist and Deep Sea Explorer who combines
expertise in oceanographic research and technological innovation
with a commitment to reversing the worldwide trend of marine
ecosystem degradation. Dr. Vincent Pieribone is a Neuroscientists and
Researcher at Yale University. He's also vice chairman of the organization that is
pushing the limits of technology and at sea
research called OceanX. [MUSIC] >> I became a scientist because I love exploring and
being on a frontier, but I always thought it would
be an intellectual frontier. If you ever get the chance, take a dive in a submersible
and turn out the lights. Every dive I've ever made has been a journey into a wild
and alien realm. It's a world within our world, one that we still know
surprisingly little about. I mean, how is it possible
that a creature as tall as a four story building managed
to elude us for so long. What a strange existence
for life down here. You've seen it, Vincent,
everything looks different. The instant you pass
from air into water, you see it, it's also changed. The warm colors disappear. As you descend, it goes
from blue green to blue to smoking navy until you pass the edge of darkness
around 500 meters, and a new kind of light
appears, living light. Seeing all that light on my first submersible dive more than three decades
ago changed my life. All around me were animals
flashy and glowing, a world of wonder vibrating
with life and light. It was thrilling and mysterious
and filled me with questions about all the strange ways light seems
to function in this world. >> I did my first submersible dive during an exposition to
the Solomon Islands. There, we witnessed the magnificent and
unforgettable nighttime display of bioluminescent flashlight fish. All of this light is a language that animals in the deep sea use to communicate in one
way or the other, and we're just beginning
to understand those. >> Some like sea fireflies eject champagne bubble lights
to attract a mate. Others like those flashlight
fish you saw, Vince, use it in a variety of ways, including to move together
in schools at night. >> Others use it like a trap, like the anglerfish that using a
glowing lure to attract its food, a bioluminescent bumble that dangles in front of
its hidden [inaudible] >> So we wondered, could we use the same
anglerfish approach to draw in the elusive giant squid? Is there a light signal that might convince the giant squid
to make an appearance? It was on OceanX's Alucia operating off Japan in 2012 that
we tried just this. Our electronic jellyfish lure worked its greatest magic attracting
the most famous squid of all, the legendary giant squid. No science fiction
writer could come and talk to more fantastic alien. Eight muscular arms plus two
insanely long tentacles, all growing out of a
massive cone-shaped head, a parrot-like beak
that can reap flesh, a jet propulsion system that works equally well in forward or reverse, and gargantuan eyes bigger than those of any
other animal on Earth. I think those amazing eyes
are the reason we had never managed to film a giant
squid in its deep sea world. We were scaring them away with
all our bright lights and noisy thrusters on submersibles
and remote operated vehicles. It's the process of applying
new technology and new ways of exploring that enables us to make these new
incredible discoveries. >> Now more than ever, the importance of
these discoveries are front-and-center in
our changing world. OceanX was born out of this remarkable passion and
excitement to explore the unknown. Over the past three years, we've designed and built a massive brand new
one-of-a-kind research ship called OceanXplorer, with the mission to take ocean
exploration to the next level. We gathered oceanographers,
marine scientists, filmmakers from all over
the world to help us build the ultimate research
and exploration ship. Every aspect of the vessel design was thought out to maximize ocean
science and media production. From planning expeditions, to
gathering cataloging samples, to genetic sequencing, we can it do all without having
to go back to shore. We have submersibles,
deep-sea robots, a helicopter, and multiple
wet and dry laboratories. With a world-class crew, OceanXplorer enables us to conduct multiple research projects
at the same time. >> These tools are a dream for
scientists like Vincent and myself. OceanXplorer is basically a state-of-the-art complete
research laboratory in almost a full
living floating city. >> We've developed
a brand new part of our ship that we call HoloLAB. In the HoloLAB, we bring
this data together to visualize and analyze in
three-dimensional space. This allows us to understand all of the rich multidimensional data
in a natural, intuitive way. Before, we were limited to 2D screens and the data was
mostly in charts and tables, while humans inherently respond
best to a three-dimensional world. Now, we can see the data mapped
onto the actual ocean floor, and define how it relates to the underwater canyons
and mountain ranges. I can't tell you how valuable
it is to see data in the context of the 3D environment, and it isn't just
visualizing information, this is collaborative
scientific tool that uses Microsoft Mesh to
connect HoloLAB with scientists and submersibles on the ship as well as
those back at land. Now, with our amazing partners, National Geographic and the BBC, we are setting off to capture
exploratory adventures on the ship and release them
as a groundbreaking series. All of you can join us to explore and discover in the near
future, so stay tuned. As you know, Edith, one of our first stops
will be again to bring us face-to-face with
the mysterious giant squid. >> Yes. I remember a remark that Pioneering
OceanXplorer and Film Director, James Cameron, once said, "I would have wrapped my submersible in bacon if it were to
track the giant squid." [MUSIC] >> Hi, Jim. Thank you
for joining us today. >> Hey, Alex. Thanks for
having me here. Thanks for bringing me in from New Zealand. >> For sure. Now this
beautiful marvel of engineering behind us is
the Deepsea Challenger. Now you co-designed and co-engineered this submersible and
science platform. With it, you became
the first solo pilot in history to dive to
the Challenger Deep, the deepest place on the planet, about seven miles down, if I understand correctly. Now, of course, you weren't
focused on first adventure, but rather on advancing
deep sea ocean science. Now the submersible allowed
you to sample and image in revolutionary ways with camera systems, if I understand
correctly, you designed. How has technology empowered you
scientifically and creatively? >> I think almost
everything I do every single day is empowered
by technology. Sometimes it's tools that
other people have created, sometimes it's tools that we've
had to create for ourselves. If you have a curious mind like
I do and you want to go places and you want to physically project
your body into those places, you build a piloted submersible
and you get in it and you go. You assemble a team
to do that and to see what's out there and put the pieces together and create new
things where you need to. If you want to project your
consciousness into a place you can't physically go like
inside the Titanic, you build a small robotic vehicle
that pulls a fiber optic and you fly it inside there
in Avatar experience. Remotely operated
vehicles are essentially physical avatars in
the physical world. Then, of course, all the stuff
I'm doing with the Avatar movie is both thematically about projecting
our minds into other bodies. It's also about creating
a VR universe around us, around our actors, and bringing that world to
life in all its detail. That required whole new tool sets, and those tool sets are
constantly evolving. I would say short of making my
orange juice in the morning, there's not much I can do
in a given day that doesn't involve building and iterating
these tool sets. [MUSIC] >> That's absolutely incredible. Thank you so much for sharing. What are your thoughts
on the potential for the HoloLAB and your
partner OceanX to both enable and engage the new generation of
OceanXplorers through technology? >> Well, look, I think there
are multi-levels to this. We can put our young
researchers right there on the OceanXplorer ship into complex datasets that have
been gathered by the ship, may be gathered by the submersibles, maybe it's bathymetry and
they can plan a dive, they can literally walk around the dive site before
they actually go down there or they could plan an ROV dive. Let's say it's too deep
for their submersibles and they're going to go down with
a remotely operated vehicle, they can see, "Well, this is canyon terrain. This is going to be difficult. We're going to have
to keep the ship in a certain place so that we can see down there and have good
communications with the vehicle for tracking,"
that sort of thing. A lot of planning can be done. Now you start overlaying into that datasets of animals
that had been seen, maybe squid schools that
had been seen on sonar, that sort of thing, say, "This is what we expect
to see at this step." Our researchers can plan their work, but the beauty of it is that they can bring the
audience along with them. Now, sure, it'll be a 2D
representation, but eventually, what I would love is that people when they're watching our episodes, are actually in this VR experience or some augmented reality
experience and they're seeing a little more of what our researchers saw and experienced at the time. This is all happening for real. This isn't some showpiece
or something that we just put on as a visual effect
in a science fiction movie, this is an actual tool
that's being used. I started using HoloLens in its earlier form with Jet
Propulsion Laboratory when we were designing and
planning a mission to Europa, a lander mission to Europa for real. It's been a tool that's
been used extensively, but now we're bringing a much
bigger audience into it, a much vaster sea of users into this great VR space that you
and I know so well and use. But now we're making it
available to everyone. [MUSIC] >> That's incredible. Thank you for the answer. It's absolutely inspiring
to hear you speak. Last question if I may. More than 30 years ago on The Abyss, one of my all time favorite
movies by the way, you developed
revolutionary underwater lighting and communication systems. You created, as you talked
about in your previous answer, remote observation vehicles to image inside the
Titanic, for example. Then you create it in Pioneer virtual camera systems and other breakthroughs needed
to be able to shoot Avatar, which by the way is my daughter's
all time favorite movie. >> Oh, thank you for that. >> Basically, you have been living in mixed reality for
more than 15 years. Can you tell us a little
bit how it feels to be here today with us as a hologram and what your dreams are for what this technology can
actually enable in the future? >> Well, look, I can say having
been in VR and AR spaces for the last 15 years at
least that there are no negative side
effects that I can see. No, I'm kidding. It's
actually a great way to work and to create and to
co-create with other people. I think that the sky's the limit on these collaborative
VR and AR workspaces. I think your film that you open with shows the
possibilities for medicine, for collaboration, for
industrial design engineering, and just for fun, just for the
arch, just for creativity. We've been using it in
a very creative way on the Avatar Productions
for the last few years. We started in 2005 so it's been coming up on 16 years. It's constantly improved
to the point that it's an absolute joy to work
in that space every day. Now I use a physical camera
that I hold on my hands, I don't use the HoloLens and we don't use that for the actress because
we can't obscure their faces, but it's exactly the
same set of principles and you just get used to it. You get used to it, and I see us in a sense ultimately
transcending our bodies, transcending our borders,
transcending our cultures, and that's a great thing. We need that, we need to
understand that people in Kolkata, in Moscow, in Beijing, in the US, in the UK, wherever, we all love and
want the same things. We're all one big unified team, if you will, planet team, team of seven billion. We've got to crack the code on all of these existential problems
that are facing us. To do that, we've got
to break down borders. We don't need walls, we need this. We need this sense of collaboration, we need this sense of togetherness. This technology can do
that, it can help do that. It's hard to stand in a place with somebody and share a
problem with them or share a joyful moment with them and then
think of them as somebody else, someplace else that
you don't care about. [MUSIC] >> Absolutely inspiring, Jim. What a great honor to have you
be on stage with us today. I'm super looking forward to being able to watch Avatar 2
whenever it comes out. >> So am I. >> I'm super, super appreciative to see you on stage with
us today. Thank you. >> It's been a
pleasure. Thanks a lot. [MUSIC] >> Dreams can connect us, they can give our lives
meaning and drive us to seek others who feel the same way. Others who, while sharing our views,
offer different perspectives. They challenge us with
new ways of seeing, they encourage us to explore, they deepen our understanding, and they enrich our lives. Guy Laliberte, founder of Cirque du Soleil and Lune
Rouge has enriched my life. He's given me perspective, he's become a close friend
and he's a fellow dreamer. For many years now, we have been reflecting on
removing barriers from society. We have been dreaming of a world
where technology enhances, not limits the human experience, and it seems that technology
is finally catching up, turning our shared dreams
into reality. [MUSIC] >> Wow. Hi, Guy. Nice frog app. Where
are you coming from? >> Hi, Alex. Well, I'm
coming from the Hanai World, a new social mixed reality
platform that will aim to connect physical and digital experience by leveraging the power
of human connections. >> Sounds incredible. As a creator and as someone who has already revolutionized
entertainment, at least one, what is it about
this medium that excites you? >> Over the years, I've received countless proposal
for technology solution, aimed at integrating live
and digital experience. But so far, none was
able to represent and transmit the magic and emotion
of a live performance. I believe with the new
Microsoft Mesh platform combined with 5G technology
and Cloud computing, we believe that today the right creative tools
are finally available and at our fingertips allowing
us to move forward and invite creative from all
over the world into our lab. >> That sounds about right. But how do you balance the sense of togetherness that can only come
from connecting with other humans, with technology, and
our relationship with computers so that humans and
not devices are at the center? >> Human connections are at
the center of Hanai World, as they are and should be
at the center of our life. I've traveled the world, and one thing is the same
in every part of it, people want to interact
with one another, to share, and to connect. You know, Alex, I'm 61 and I've
decide to be a great ancestor. Entertainment and creativity
have always been my language. I'd like my legacy
to be a place where all artists could share and
showcase their creation, where a user could become
partner and creator. I think we're on a great
position to achieve this. >> I love that vision. But how do you make sense
and how do you balance this promise for a brighter future with a far more intimate
and meaningful present? People need connection
now more than ever, but we live in a world
where people are starting to reject
and no longer trust, giving away their time and date and return of free access to platforms. How do you connect artists
with the community in an alternative way
based on principles of love, respect, and trust? >> Alex, I'm a connector. I have been working with
artists and building community all my life at Cirque
and in other venture. I've connect people and brought to life amazing collective
accomplishment. Hanai World wants to empower artists, allowing them to develop entertainment experience
that celebrate the interconnection between human. We aim to welcome artists and
creators ready to share content that can all mix reality at set user and people in physical
venue simultaneously. One thing drove all my creative
projects so far, emotions. Hanai World is no different. I truly believe this
virtual community will permit us to live
human experience that might be possible to integrate
in the real world and I think this is
for a better world. You know, Alex, I could talk
about the subject for many hours. I think it's the
moment that I show you a little glimpse of what the
Hanai World spirit could be. Would you like to come with me a little bit? Come on. [MUSIC]
