AI Strategy Lab VR: Voice-First Executive Simulation (Unreal Engine 5 + Convai, Meta Quest 3)

Snapshot

• Role: Designer and builder (learning experience design, narrative design, prototyping in UE5)
• Format: VR executive simulation, voice-first interaction
• Platform: Meta Quest 3 (standalone VR headset)
• Tech: Unreal Engine 5 + Convai Unreal Engine plugin for conversational characters
• Primary outcomes: realistic practice space for decision-making, adoption conversations, and ethical trade-offs
• Deliverables: working prototype build, dialogue and scenario structure, interaction flow, pitch and debrief sequence, demo materials

Role Tracks

• Primary: Learner Engagement and Learning Tech
• Secondary: Digital Adoption and Enablement (awareness, reinforcement, rollout support)
• Also relevant to: Web Strategy and Growth (content clarity, information design, iteration mindset)

Organization disclosure

Personal prototype developed in the context of ASU’s MA Narrative and Emerging Media program (VR/AR/XR oriented).

Context

Leaders are being asked to “adopt AI,” but most training stops at awareness. What’s missing is a safe place to rehearse how AI adoption decisions actually happen: competing stakeholder goals, budget constraints, risk, compliance, and organizational change.

This prototype explores a voice-first approach in which the learner acts as an executive decision-maker in a simulated workshop, engaging multiple AI stakeholders through conversational dialogue and then making a final adoption decision.

The problem

Traditional learning formats struggle to teach adoption decisions because:

• they separate “knowledge” from the messy reality of stakeholder trade-offs
• they are passive, so learners do not practice difficult conversations
• they rarely surface ethical and governance risks in a memorable way
• they lack consequence-based feedback loops

Goals

1. Create an immersive, voice-driven practice environment for executive decision-making
2. Represent multiple stakeholder viewpoints in a structured workshop format
3. Make risks, constraints, and trade-offs explicit (not implied)
4. Build a reusable prototype architecture that can expand to new scenarios

Constraints

• Standalone headset performance constraints for VR builds (Quest as Android target)
• Need for hands-free, natural interaction (voice-first) rather than complex UI
• Prototype scope: prioritize a coherent end-to-end loop over feature breadth

What I did

1) Designed the learning loop

• Defined the learner role (executive facilitator) and the workshop arc (briefing, stakeholder pitches, decision, debrief)
• Designed the moment-to-moment flow so each interaction drives a decision, not just dialogue

2) Built the prototype in Unreal Engine 5 for Quest

• Prototyped the VR environment and interaction structure in Unreal Engine
• Targeted Quest deployment as an Android VR build for testing on-device

3) Implemented voice-first conversational characters (Convai)

• Integrated Convai’s Unreal Engine plugin to enable hands-free conversation and voice-driven character interaction
• Structured dialogues so stakeholders can present positions and respond to user prompts while staying within the scenario

4) Created scenario structure and decision points

• Wrote stakeholder prompts and “pitch” segments designed for executive-level clarity
• Built an explicit decision point with follow-up feedback and reflection prompts

5) Prepared demonstration assets

• Created a slide-based walkthrough and a concise explanation of how the simulation supports learning outcomes
• Documented build notes and next-step improvements for iteration

Deliverables

• VR prototype (Quest-tested build target and interaction loop)
• Voice-first conversational character integration using Convai
• Workshop scenario design: stakeholder pitches, decision gates, debrief prompts
• Demo materials (slide deck, walkthrough narrative)

Results (prototype outcomes)

• Working end-to-end simulation loop: briefing to stakeholder engagement to decision to debrief
• Voice-first interaction enabled more natural “executive conversation” pacing than menu-heavy UI
• Clear foundation for expanding to additional scenarios, stakeholder roles, and measurable learning signals

Proof

Here’s the video walkthrough of the AI Adoption Strategy VR:

And here is the slide deck for more information about the project:

Download: AI Strategy Lab VR Slide Deck (PDF)

Skills demonstrated

Immersive learning design, scenario design, executive enablement, conversational UX, rapid prototyping, Unreal Engine VR development, stakeholder simulation, iteration planning.

Tools

Unreal Engine 5, Meta Quest 3, Convai Unreal Engine plugin, Reallusion Character Creator and iClone

What I’d do next in the first 30–90 days (in a Learning Tech or Digital Adoption role)

• Add measurable learning signals (decision rationale capture, confidence ratings, reflection prompts)
• Expand scenario library by role and industry (policy, HR, operations, customer support)
• Build a lightweight admin layer for facilitators (scenario selection, learning objectives, reporting)
• Pilot with a small cohort and iterate based on observed friction and outcomes