Thinking on Paper - Quantum Computing, AI and Space Technology Conversations 8 Billion AR Uses Per Day: Why You're Already Living in Augmented Reality
Eight billion augmented reality experiences happen on Snapchat every day. You've probably used AR dozens of times this week—you just didn't call it that.
Michael Guerin, CEO of Imvizar, explains why the most successful AR never announces itself. It hides inside behavior people already have: taking photos, exploring museums, starting new jobs.
This isn't about Pokémon Go or headsets. It's about spatial storytelling—experiences that use physical space to create emotional connections screens can't deliver.
We explore how AR works in three contexts:
Snapchat: 8 billion daily uses through lenses and filters. Users don't think "I'm using AR"—they just use it. Success comes from integration, not novelty.
Salesforce: New employee onboarding without slideshows. Instead of sitting through presentations, new hires scan QR codes and explore the building. They learn culture through movement and space, retaining more than any deck could teach.
Tourism & Museums: Spike Island (Ireland's Alcatraz) uses AR to place visitors inside prison scenes from the 1800s. When you see a prisoner chained to the wall in the punishment cell—in the actual cell—the emotional response is immediate. Two visitors cried on the first day.
Guerin's process reverses traditional storytelling:
1. Survey the physical space first
2. Design user movement through it
3. Place visuals that respond to location
4. Plan interaction points
5. Write narrative last (not first)
AR fails when it acts like static video. It succeeds when movement and place carry the experience. The technology disappears; the story remains.
If you think AR is future tech, this episode proves you're already living in it—you just haven't noticed.
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Guest: Michael Guerin, CEO, Imvizar
Topics: Augmented reality, spatial storytelling, Snapchat, Salesforce, museum technology, tourism, employee onboarding, AR design
Locations mentioned: Spike Island (Ireland), Salesforce offices (East Coast, West Coast)
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Mark and Jeremy
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TIMESTAMPS
(00:00) The Story of Augmented Reality
(03:46) Snapchat & AR Post-Pokemon Go
(06:24) Snoop Dogg In A Wine Bottle
(08:12) Salesforce AR
(13:13) What Is Digital Storytelling?
(17:07) AR In Tourism
(18:25) Designing The Spike Island AR Experience
(22:49) How To Do AR Well
(26:26) Meta, AI And AR Glasses
(29:40) Privacy
(32:33) Mark's Terrible Thought Experiment
(33:58) What do we want humans to be?