Is AI here to replace creators in XR, or is it here to empower them?
At AWE USA 2025, the world’s leading XR event, Our CTO Preston Platt spoke about how AI is transforming the speed and scale of XR development. Drawing on his creative approach and technical expertise, Preston shared practical insights from building immersive experiences using AI-driven workflows.
In his session, he revealed how AI can act as a creative co-pilot. It is not here to replace developers and designers. Rather, AI helps amplify ideas, sharpen execution, and significantly reduce production time.
How AI Is Useful in XR
Preston broke down the essentials of a productive AI-powered workflow:
- Pre-Concept Development: Using AI to explore ideas and spark creativity
- 3D Creation: Speeding up asset design with generative models
- UI Design: Rapidly testing and refining user interfaces
- Code Implementation: Streamlining development through AI-assisted code flows
He also shared which AI models and tools he uses regularly and took time to answer insightful questions from the audience. If you’re curious to learn more, you can watch his full session below.
Photo credit: AWE
The Question Driving the Talk: How fast can we go with AI in XR?
For Preston, the answer lies in hands-on experimentation. He focuses on finding the right tools that act as true assistants, not replacements.
AI helps you think better, build smarter, and create faster. Preston demonstrated this through two internal projects, where he spent time testing various tools to understand their benefits, limitations, and how to optimize his workflow.
He first developed the mixed reality game Pop Goes the Weasel, followed by Defenderella, a cross-platform spatial game featured during Apple’s State of the Union at WWDC 2025. Defenderella was highlighted as a perfect example of Shared Spatial Experiences in visionOS 26.
Let’s take a closer look at both projects.
Defenderella: Tower Defense, No Controllers Needed
Designed for co-located multiplayer play, Defenderella lets users interact side by side in real time. There are no controllers, just intuitive hand tracking. Built in Swift and developed with Unity and OpenXR, the game transforms any tabletop into a cooperative battleground, combining console-quality visuals with fast-paced strategy and smooth gameplay.
Preston used Defenderella to show how AI can accelerate development and raise visual quality, even in complex, cross-platform XR environments.
Pop Goes the Weasel: A Mixed Reality Twist
This mixed reality game blends spatial audio, real-world interaction, and whimsical storytelling, with AI tools enhancing the entire process.
The project served as a sandbox for Preston to rapidly test ideas, experiment with new tools, and build immersive mechanics with speed and creativity.
Want to see how AI can enhance the development of your branded XR experience? Let’s talk.
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