Meta has started a new program called “Project Warhol” to improve its virtual and augmented reality technology. The company works with Appen to pay people $50 per hour to record their facial expressions, conversations, and movements.
This data helps train Meta’s Codec Avatars, which are digital versions of people designed to look and move like real humans. The project runs two studies at Meta’s Pittsburgh center: one called “Human Motion” and another named “Group Conversations.”
Participants perform activities like copying gestures and having casual talks. Meta hopes this will create “metric telepresence,” meaning virtual interactions that feel just like face-to-face meetings. Project Warhol is part of Meta’s bigger plan to grow its metaverse technology.
Even though Meta’s Reality Labs has lost over $60 billion since 2020, the company keeps investing in AI-powered devices, including Ray-Ban smart glasses. Meta’s CTO, Andrew Bosworth, said that 2025 is a key year to prove if the metaverse can succeed.
Besides Project Warhol, Meta is also working on Orion AR glasses. These glasses will show digital images on top of the real world, aiming to reduce the need for traditional screens. They are still being developed and may come out in the next few years.
Overall, Project Warhol shows Meta’s strong focus on using real human data to build advanced AI and create more immersive digital experiences.
