Posted in: Star Trek, TV | Tagged: ai, Holodeck, star trek, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: The Original Series, StoryFile, TNG, william shatner

Star Trek Birthday Boy William Shatner Goes StoryFile Interactive AI

It's amazing how much Star Trek-inspired technology has in part become reality from tricorders, tablets, and now holodeck. Thanks to the interactive storytelling app, StoryFile, the franchise's arguably most recognizable face in William Shatner will always be around in some form immortalized in their digital AI technology. On the heels of The Original Series star's 90th birthday, the company announced the Canadian actor/writer/director and original Captain James T Kirk will be a brand ambassador and featured on their StoryFile Life allowing his family and friends to interact with even carry a conversation with the AI-powered digitized version according to Entertainment Weekly.

With the planned release of May 2021, the actor's digital presence is reminiscent of the AI-oriented holodeck first introduced on Star Trek: The Next Generation where its crew members live their fantasies they program in their fully synthesized worlds. "This is for all my children and all my children's children and all my children's loved ones and all the loved ones of the loved ones," Shatner said. "That's my gift to you down through time."

Set to launch in June 2021, Storyfile's tech delivers interactive storytelling that includes their patented "Artificially Intelligent Interactive Memories System" on Conversa, which uses natural language processing and other innovative technologies. "William Shatner is going where no one has gone before," said StoryFile Co-Founder and CEO Heather Maio-Smith. "Generations in the future will be able to have a conversation with him. Not an avatar, not a deep fake, but with the real William Shatner answering their questions about his life and work. This changes the trajectory of the future — of how we experience life today, and how we share those lessons and stories for generations to come."

Shatner is the second figure to be synthesized from StoryFile's tech. The first AI is Santa Claus. "Who better to show the world how StoryFile Life works than, William Shatner, a man the world knows for stretching our imaginations about the future and life in this universe and beyond," said StoryFile co-founder Stephen Smith. "A man who has always generously shared the highs and lows with us, and who has mastered the art of storytelling." What other figures would you like to see digitized you want to talk to? Speaking of Santa Claus, TNG star Jonathan Frakes was one of several who wished his Generations (1994) co-star a happy birthday via Twitter.

William Shatner at 90 (behind the scenes) from StoryFile Conversational Video on Vimeo.

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