Neural Notes: How I became an AI hologram

Welcome back to Neural Notes, where I look at some of the most interesting AI news of the week. In this edition: I’m turned into a holographic clone in Las Vegas by Proto, and the company’s AI officer explains why this technology is going to be huge for the retail market.

You really can’t miss Proto’s holographic boxes, even during a packed event like AWS’ re:Invent. They stand taller than an NBA player (though there are mini desk-sized versions) and from the inside, holographic clones are chatting amongst themselves and waving at the crowd.

Unfortunately for me, I had seen this technology before. It was featured in an episode of The Kardashians earlier this year.

Proto’s chief product and AI officer Raffi Kryszek seemed surprised that I knew about the tech. I’m guessing his previous interviewers that day weren’t as tragic as me. 

Proto’s devices create life-sized, three-dimensional representations of people and objects. The idea is to enable ‘immersive’ communication without the need for wearables such as VR headsets or AR glasses.

Using a bespoke operating system, the platform powers applications ranging from real-time telepresence to AI-driven holographic interactions. 

According to Kryszek, a standard setup captures a person’s voice, gestures, and likeness in about three minutes. From there, it creates a hologram that can be deployed for live or autonomous use cases.

My experience was much shorter this because it didn’t need to AI-generate words and movement like in the real-world Proto boxes.

For the short hologram clip of yours truly, Proto only required me to do some form of movement for about 5-10 seconds. This was then replicated in its holographic box.

While this was a comparatively simpler task, it was still absolutely wild to witness firsthand.

Proto hologram’s paradox of presence

Unsurprisingly, corporate environments have been one of Proto’s primary use cases.

“It started out mostly with executives wanting to communicate with other executives and other team members around the world,” Kryszek said to SmartCompany. 

Proto’s technology promises to recreate a sense of physical presence, making remote communication feel more personal and impactful than a typical video call.

“I feel like a Zoom call doesn’t do the word ‘presence’ justice. It’s impersonal,” Kryszek said.

He believes Proto’s platform retains the nuances of in-person interactions—non-verbal cues, gestures, and a shared sense of space. 

However, the introduction of AI holographic twins – personas that can function autonomously – had me questioning whether replicating oneself for scalability conflicts with the very essence of presence.

Proto’s holograms offer a way to multiply a leader’s or expert’s influence without requiring them to be physically present. 

But if that’s the case, doesn’t the entire concept of ‘presence’ become abstract when the interaction is powered by an AI-driven clone rather than the person themselves? 

That seems like the opposite of ‘personal’ to me. 

According to Kryszek, this is a paradox that Proto’s technology embraces. He envisions a future where Proto’s hologram boxes can be used in real-time to enable, for example, a CEO to be ‘present’ in a meeting while across the other side of the world.

But he also sees the opportunity in the technology being used for more one-way communication that doesn’t require the person to be there. For example, a talk or lecture.

The latency challenge

When it comes to the more real-time communication Proto offers, the biggest challenge is latency. This is something you could see on the show floor as the holograms ‘spoke’ to each other.

For example, the two holograms on either side of ‘me’ chatted in real time about SmartCompany based on some questions I answered before my likeness was captured.

It was undeniably impressive, but in its current iteration, the pauses between each speaker were noticeable, interrupting the natural flow of conversation.

“Under the hood of the technology, there are a lot of microservices. Each microservice –  whether it’s voice to text, text to speech, cloning and lip syncing, the real-time rendering – all of them have their own kind of inherent latency,” Kryszek said.

Still, it was quite cool to see the other holograms talk about the “smart moves” being made by SmartCompany while my clone took selfies and posed awkwardly.

Proto holograms in retail spaces

Another large use case for Proto’s holograms has been in the retail space.

Clients are already using holographic displays for interactive digital signage, product demonstrations, and even AI-powered customer support.

According to Kryszek, this has been particularly useful for global brands that operate across markets are require multi-language assistance

Kryszek said this approach doesn’t just create novelty, it solves real problems like scaling expertise and providing consistent customer experiences across different regions.

“If I make you into a holographic AI clone, I make you a product expert in the retail — but it’s also hyper localised in any language, and it sounds like you,” Kryszek said.

“For example, in Southern California, where there are a lot of Spanish speakers, the hologram might respond in Spanish in real-time. It’s about accessibility and making sure every customer feels engaged.”

Celebrities are also getting in on the action. A Paris Hilston hologram has been ‘sliving’ her way into Walmart to promote her range of cookware.

Kryszek also hinted at a major celebrity collaboration in 2025, but wasn’t spilling the details on the record just yet. You’ll have to stay tuned for that one.

The author travelled to re:Invent in Las Vegas as a guest of AWS.