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My experiences with Generative AI are somewhat limited. For my university assignments, I never dared to use it. The rules about the use of GenAI and fraud are a bit unclear in my opinion, so I always stayed far away from it in the context of my studies. Only recently I have started to use it a bit and experimented with it, but I am still quite hesitant. 

There is another GenAI tool that I do use frequently. The program Canva offers a lot of GenAI tools. Canva is a creative platform where you can create all kinds of graphic design material like posters, slides, brochures, posts for social media, flyers and much more. I use it quite a lot for presentations, posters and social media posts. Canva offers several different apps with GenAI that generate pictures and designs from text. In my experience this makes designing something much easier and faster. You can easily see if something you have in mind actually looks good and adjust it with just a few words. I use it mostly to create some designs or templates and generate pictures that I need. 

The tool works really well, and Canva is investing a lot into developing the AI tools even further (Van Loon, 2024). The business recently took over AI platform Leonardo and incorporated it into it’s own features. This seems like a smart business idea, as Canva plans to raise subscription prices (De Graef, 2024). Canva works with a free model and a premium, paid subscription. In the free version you get a taste of AI and can use a tool a few times for free. In the premium version, you get more GenAI tools and unlimited use. With the expansion to GenAI territory, this also helps Canva to compete with the big companies in the graphic design market, like Adobe (Poh & Lee, n.d.).

To conclude, I used Canva long before the GenAI tools, but I have seen a big improvement with the development of these tools. I think this is a great example of how GenAI can improve your business and change your customer experience for the better. I am a huge fan of the GenAI tools in Canva, if that wasn’t already clear. If you thought GenAI is not creative, I recommend you try it for yourself. It makes designing so much easier and quicker and sometimes even comes up with things I hadn’t even considered! 

References

De Graef, A. (2024, September 4). Canva verhoogt prijzen: tot 300% duurder wegens AI-functies. TechPulse. https://techpulse.be/nieuws/468506/canva-verhoogt-prijzen-tot-300-duurder-wegens-ai-functies/

Van Loon, C. (2024, July 30). Canva neemt AI-platform Leonardo over. ITdaily. https://itdaily.be/nieuws/software/canva-neemt-ai-platform-leonardo-over/

Poh, O., & Lee. (n.d.). Canva bets big on AI to fight Adobe and supercharge growth. MSN. Retrieved October 1, 2024, from https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/canva-bets-big-on-ai-to-fight-adobe-and-supercharge-growth/ar-AA1r8Kgb?ocid=BingNewsVerp

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AR and VR technologies have been around for some time, although they only got a lot of attention recently. The first VR setup was invented in the 1960’s and AR technology was used for training simulations in the United States Air Force since the 1990’s. Ever since, AR and VR technologies have developed a lot, even though the first commercial uses were a lot later. Nintendo released the Virtual Boy, a VR headset in 1995 and the first widely available AR technology was the Google Glass, launched in 2013. Since then, AR and VR technologies have transformed different industries and still have not peaked, so there is a lot more we can expect from it (Thampan et al., 2023). 

In this particular blogpost, I would like to zoom in on the real estate market, as AR and VR technologies made some interesting developments within this industry. The AR and VR technology can add value in different stages of the process, whether you are building a new house, buying or renovating an existing property. In the building process, VR would be most convenient, as the building and layout do not exist yet, but can be walked through and certain different versions can be evaluated by visualizing it. With buying an existing property, AR comes in handy. Buyers can walk through the house, but can see it in their preferred style, making the decision a lot easier if the sellers have a different interior style. You could also save a lot of time from the real estate agent and the potential buyers if the first viewing can be done through VR. Once the house is built or bought, interior designing becomes much easier with AR. Take the IKEA app, where you can pick and choose furniture in their app and put it into your own interior with AR (ID.nl, 2022). 

AR and VR technologies are very useful in real estate and are expected to soon be more widely adopted in this industry (PwC, n.d.). It saves a lot of time, personalizes the experience and helps buyers visualize their vision for the property. It also as an impact on related industries such as furniture stores, architects, renovating companies and home décor shops. These technologies have not reached their full potential yet so I’m very excited to see what other innovations it will lead to in real estate. 

ID.nl. (2022, 26 augustus). Richt je huis virtueel in met AR-app IKEA Place. ID.nl. https://id.nl/huis-en-entertainment/computer-en-gaming/game-accessoires/richt-je-huis-virtueel-in-met-ar-app-ikea

PwC. (n.d.). Virtual reality is transforming real estate. Are you ready? PwC. https://www.pwc.co.uk/issues/technology/immersive-technologies/virtual-reality-is-transforming-real-estate-are-you-ready.html

Thampan, A., Razak, A., Abhay, K., Akash, R., & Manu, M. (2023). Evolution of Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR). International Journal Of Research Publication And Reviews, 4, 4.