ATLAS assistant professor Ryo Suzuki wins CAREER award to study generative AI and augmented reality interfaces
Assistant professor Ryo Suzuki (ATLAS Institute, Computer Science) has won a National Science Foundation (NSF) , the organization’s most prestigious honor for early-career faculty. This provides a grant of $665,349.00.
ճ supports faculty “who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization.”
Suzuki, who earned his PhD in Computer Science at ̽Ƶ and runs the Programmable Reality Lab at ATLAS, focuses his research on evolving AI interfaces away from 2D computer screens to augmented reality-based systems (AR) that can engage with and respond to the physical environment.
The objective of his CAREER proposal is “to establish, design, and study Generative Augmented Reality (Gen AR).” He is pursuing a new class of AR interfaces that leverages generative AI to analyze context from the real world and generate contextually appropriate content, which is then embedded in the user’s AR view.
“What excites me most about Gen AR research is the possibility of moving AI beyond screens and into the physical world where people actually learn, work, repair, build, and create,” Suzuki said. “Instead of asking people to translate text or images from a screen into action, Gen AR can generate guidance, visualizations, and interactive content directly in the user’s real environment.”
ܳܰ쾱’sAugmented Physics research, for example, uses machine learning to create interactive physics simulations from textbook diagrams without the need for programming.
Another project,Guided Reality, led by Ada Zhao (Computer Science PhD student; ATLAS Creative Technology & Design MS ‘25; co-advised by professor Ellen Do), is an automated AR system that creates dynamic visual guidance based on step-by-step instructions, making it much easier for first-timers to operate a new device.
Other projects coming out of the Programmable Reality Lab include AI-powered map animations and storytelling,an AR-powered sketching and animation tool, and a tool for prototyping AR interfaces.
Suzuki’s research could have profound effects on how we interact with the world, with a particular emphasis on learning. He noted, “I plan to expand access to Gen AR development by enabling users—including students, educators, and non-experts—to author and interact with intelligent, context-aware AR content.”
Examples of Gen AR prompts and outputs.
To catalyze this, he hopes to deploy a Gen AR toolkit in university classrooms, “transforming the prototyping process and empowering students to create AR applications for education, training, and creative work.” He also plans to design a course on AR and AI to empower ̽Ƶ students to apply Gen AR in their own work.
“In the next year, this award will help us build the core technical foundation for Gen AR, including the system architecture, early prototypes, and initial studies around how people use AI-generated AR content. It will also support students in my lab as we begin turning this research vision into working tools and applications,” Suzuki explained. “Over the next 3-5 years, I hope this project will establish Gen AR as a new research direction at the intersection of augmented reality, generative AI, and human-computer interaction. Beyond individual prototypes, the goal is to create open tools, design principles, and educational materials that other researchers, students, and developers can build on.”
A key theme at ATLAS is the development of tools and expansion of access to technology to help people become active participants, builders and problem solvers.
Suzuki plans to release all data, toolkits, and sample applications as , accompanied by public documentation and tutorials so other researchers, designers and creators can explore and build on these technologies.
Industry partners will also play a key role in this line of research as well. Suzuki aims to collaborate with Google, Adobe and Fujitsu Research to one day translate lab research into real-world products that impact our everyday lives.
Suzuki has a “long-term vision of transforming everyday environments into intelligent, interactive spaces that augment human thought and creativity.” He says, “Over the next 5–10 years, I aim to grow my Programmable Reality Lab into a leading hub for research at the convergence of AR and AI.”