On September 3, 2025, a lecture hall at Simon Fraser University hosted a moment that feels closer to science fiction than to the routines of academic life. Students gathered expecting a professor at the podium, but instead found two fingers waiting. One is Steve DiPaola, a familiar human presence, and beside him is Kia, three-dimensional artificial intelligence rendered with startling realism. The digital figure meets the audience with a direct gaze, smiles at the right momen
