The Holodeck revisited: foundations for AI Character Media

Abstract People experience stories as observers in films and novels, while games and virtual reality (VR) enable them to participate directly in story worlds. More recently, advances in large language models have made natural interactions with AI characters increasingly feasible. However, the concept of a medium in which users share events with characters in the same world and experience stories together has not yet been systematically examined. This study revisits the Holodeck depicted in the Star Trek series in light of recent technological advances and analyzes its conceptual evolution. The analysis shows that the Holodeck should be understood not merely as a vision of a future VR system, but as a medium in which humans and characters share events within a common world and experience stories together. Based on this analysis, the paper identifies four core concepts—character, world, shared events, and story—and proposes a conceptual foundation for understanding and designing future AI Character Media.