Denise Holt is a leading global educator, futurist, and thought leader in Active Inference AI and Spatial Web Technologies, recognized for her pioneering work in shaping the future of artificial intelligence, digital twins, and the IEEE 2874–2025 Spatial Web Protocol. As the founder of Learning Lab Central and AIX Global Media, Denise has created platforms that bridge the global knowledge gap, empowering innovators, business leaders, and enterprises to adopt these transformative technologies. Named among IBM’s Top 30 VIP Futurists, she continues to influence the future of autonomous intelligence, immersive digital ecosystems, and next-generation internet infrastructure worldwide.
The Social Digest: Denise, you’ve been recognized as the leading educator in Active Inference AI and Spatial Web Technologies. Can you share how you first became interested in these fields and what inspired you to become such a prominent figure in this space?
“My journey into Active Inference AI and the Spatial Web began with my deep interest in emerging technologies and their potential to profoundly reshape society. For the past seven years, I’ve anticipated the massive impact these technologies would have on technology, industry, and society. In early June 2022, I caught up with Dan Mapes, Founder of VERSES AI (the company leading this technological shift), and it became clear the immense amount of progress that was being made in these fields. I understood then that the first need would be education.
The dawn of the Spatial Web is like experiencing the transformation of the world wide web and the mobile revolution all over again – only this time, the opportunities for innovation will be exponentially bigger and roll out even faster. Active Inference also flips the script on current AI. It is a biologically inspired approach to autonomous intelligence, and it promises more sustainable, scalable, and adaptable intelligent systems.
Recognizing the enormous implications of coupling Active Inference with the Spatial Web, I understood that education would be a top priority for every person in every industry across the globe. I also feel strongly that these topics deserve their own space to thrive, so I built an education platform that is hyper-focused on these technologies—Learning Lab Central; a global education hub (and refuge from the noise of the Gen AI hype) where innovators and business leaders can converge, access the top education resources, training, and certification in this space, meet and communicate directly with each other, collaborate and learn from each other, and grow in knowledge together. I’ve positioned my company, AIX Global Media, to be the leading activation channel for innovators and business leaders in this space, and education comes first.”
The Social Digest: You’ve written extensively about Active Inference AI, often seen as the next frontrunner in artificial intelligence. For those unfamiliar, could you explain what Active Inference AI is and why it’s considered a game-changer compared to traditional AI approaches?
“Active Inference AI is an entirely new approach to autonomous intelligence, led by world-renowned neuroscientist, Dr. Karl Friston – Chief Scientist at VERSES AI. This new paradigm represents a revolutionary shift from traditional AI methodologies, such as deep learning, and solves for many of the current AI industry pain points and shortcomings like reliability, safety, and the looming energy crisis.
Unlike traditional AI, which often requires massive data sets and significant computational power, Active Inference operates on the principle of minimizing uncertainty through real-time perception, learning, and decision-making. It’s biologically inspired, mirroring how the human brain continuously updates predictions based on sensory inputs and internal models. This allows Active Inference AI to dynamically adapt, perform causal reasoning, and handle uncertainty efficiently, marking a game-changing approach that is inherently more energy efficient and capable of real-time autonomous decision-making.
Active Inference Agents can be distributed throughout networks, using LIVE data, making sense of it in real-time. The programmable context of the Spatial Web Protocol and digital twinning of this next era of our internet will provide a grounding layer of ever-evolving real data—a digital representation of all physical things and complex systems within our planet, and this enables these Active Inference Agents with a global world model of understanding. Active Inference Agents don’t just cooperate, they co-regulate. They communicate directly with each other, share beliefs with each other, and operate as a distributed collective intelligence layer within safeguarded networks. It’s a groundbreaking combination that changes computing as we know it.
Where legacy agents process tasks in isolation, Active Inference Agents embedded in the Spatial Web can act as contextual participants constantly sensing, reasoning, and responding to a dynamic, multi-scale world model. “
The Social Digest: The Spatial Web is gaining traction, especially with the recent ratification of the IEEE 2874–2025 Spatial Web Protocol. Can you break down what the Spatial Web is and how it differs from the current internet?
“You can think of our current internet as a library of pages—websites and mobile apps that serve up content and generate data, enabling you to do things with that content and data. If you look at current AI systems, they are built for our current internet. GenAI generates language, code, images, video, audio, etc… all the components used, stored, and served up within the World Wide Web.
The Spatial Web represents the next evolution of the internet—one that integrates physical and digital spaces seamlessly. Layering on top of HTTP and HTML, the recently ratified IEEE 2874–2025 Spatial Web Protocol establishes a standardized infrastructure that enables interoperability among all current, legacy, and emerging technologies: digital twins, AI, augmented reality, virtual reality, IoT, blockchain, cloud and edge computing, etc… Additionally, all of these systems are optimized by a layer of distributed intelligence through this new AI paradigm called, Active Inference. Unlike the current internet, which primarily connects information via URLs (websites/web domains), the Spatial Web Protocol – HSTP connects information, people, places, and things through spatial coordinates and a common language – HSML, creating an immersive, contextually rich, and decentralized digital ecosystem.
HSTP (Hyperspace Transaction Protocol) manages data flows between interconnected systems, ensures security at every touchpoint, and facilitates interoperability between different autonomous systems and Agents. HSML (Hyperspace Modeling Language) provides a common language for Agent systems, enabling computable context and provides a shared framework for context-aware decision-making. This new addition to our global internet aims to create a standardized way for diverse technologies and intelligence systems to seamlessly interact and share information across programmable spaces within global networks.
The Spatial Web is not simply a next-generation protocol stack. It is a paradigm shift in how Agents interact—not just with each other, but with their entire environment. Active Inference provides the internal generative model, and the Spatial Web provides the external semantic and spatial context. Together they enable real-time, scale-free, causally grounded intelligence across distributed networks. In this convergence, the Universal Domain Graph (UDG) becomes the ambient knowledge base for all Agents, no matter who built them. HSML becomes the language Agents use to interpret their world. HSTP becomes the protocol they use to act upon it.”
The Social Digest: You founded Learning Lab Central, offering courses and certifications in Active Inference AI and Spatial Web Technologies. What motivated you to create this platform, and how do you see it driving broader adoption of these technologies?
“I created Learning Lab Central to bridge the significant knowledge gap around Active Inference AI and Spatial Web Technologies. My goal was to provide accessible, structured, and comprehensive educational resources empowering enterprise leaders, tech developers, and innovators to strategically integrate these advanced technologies into their operations. By offering certification programs, we aim to accelerate informed adoption, fostering innovation and ensuring businesses are prepared to thrive in the rapidly evolving technological landscape.”
The Social Digest: Your Spatial Web AI Podcast and Sub stack newsletter are key resources for staying updated on these technologies. How do you approach content creation, and what do you hope listeners and readers take away?
“My approach is to make this information as accessible as possible, meeting readers, listeners, and learners exactly where they are. My Spatial Web AI Podcast is available on YouTube, Spotify, and all syndicated podcast apps, and I publish my writing on my Spatial Web AI blog, Medium, Hacker noon, as well as my Sub stack and LinkedIn newsletters. I focus on distilling complex concepts into accessible and actionable insights.
One of the main pieces of feedback I have received over the past three years is, “Wow, you have a gift of being able to take these complex ideas and make them understandable for anyone.” That’s my goal, really. Every person on the planet needs to understand what is happening with this technological shift, and most of them are not tech-minded. They need to hear it in a way they can relate to that does not sound like buzz words and technical jargon, but is actually conveyed in words and ideas that they understand.
My approach involves blending thorough research, practical examples, and real-world applications. I aim for listeners and readers to leave with not just a deeper understanding but actionable knowledge they can immediately apply, empowering them to lead confidently in their organizations and industries.”
The Social Digest: Your entrepreneurial career spans luxury services, arts, and cutting-edge tech. How have these diverse experiences shaped your focus on AI and spatial computing, and what lessons have you carried forward?
“My diverse background as a multi-vertical founder has been beneficial in so many ways. Just prior to understanding the vision that was being laid out with the Spatial Web back in 2018, I had spent the previous years importing consumer electronics from China, and among others, my company was partnered with a manufacturer of some very cutting edge technologies: facial recognition, 3D room scanning and modeling technology, broadband mesh technologies, consumer and military grade drones, VR goggle, and more. When I found myself engaging in conversations with Spatial Web visionaries, I immediately recognized the profound impact it would have on computing, enabling me to proactively prepare for its arrival.
My past entrepreneurial experiences also provided me with a unique perspective on user experience, the importance of timing, brand strategy, customer-centric innovation, and creative problem-solving. These experiences taught me the importance of aligning technology with human-centric design principles. Know your audience, meet them where they are, and draw them to you. The lessons I’ve learned over the years continually inform my approach to building AIX Global Media, reminding me to prioritize usability, accessibility, and meaningful engagement in all technological advancements.”
The Social Digest: What are the biggest challenges facing the adoption of Active Inference AI and Spatial Web Technologies, and what opportunities do they present for businesses and individuals?
“One significant challenge in adopting Active Inference AI and the Spatial Web is the existing knowledge gap and technical readiness. Additionally, concerns around data privacy, integration complexities, and infrastructural readiness remain hurdles. However, the opportunities are immense, ranging from dramatically improved operational efficiencies, sustainability, and personalized user experiences to entirely new business models and revenue streams.
Early adopters stand to gain significant competitive advantages by driving innovation and improving strategic agility. Now is the time to learn. Get educated. This begins with taking courses and obtaining professional certification to set yourself apart as an identified leader in this new space. Understand what this change means to you and your industry so that you can be ready to begin implementation as early as your next planning quarter.”
The Social Digest: You’ve been named among IBM’s top 30 VIP Futurists and have a wealth of experience. How do you stay ahead of the curve in such a fast-evolving field, and what strategies do you use to keep learning?
“I think the biggest key to learning is staying open to it. Stay curious. Keep your mind open to wonder and possibility, and be proactive. The beautiful thing about the era we’ve lived in since the dawn of the world wide web—particularly now in the age of AI—is that virtually any knowledge you desire is right at your fingertips. There are few barriers to knowledge anymore.
That said, the evolution of current technology is at hyper-speed, and it can be exhausting to keep up. We are also living in an age where misinformation is spreading like wildfire, and Gen AI is being found to be one of the biggest culprits in leading users down very misguided rabbit holes of hallucination. So you must be careful and discerning about choosing reputable sources to learning from.
I have life-hacked all my newsfeeds to focus on continuous learning, regularly engaging with cutting-edge research, academic papers, and global thought leaders. Networking within specialized professional communities, participating actively in standards bodies such as IEEE, and hosting discussions on my platforms also ensure I’m consistently exposed to the latest advancements and diverse perspectives. This proactive approach allows me to anticipate trends and remain at the forefront of technological innovation.”
The Social Digest: For aspiring professionals in AI and emerging technologies, what advice would you give based on your experiences? What skills or mindsets are crucial for success in this rapidly evolving landscape?
“My advice to aspiring professionals in AI and emerging technologies is to embrace a mindset of lifelong learning and adaptability. We’ve been living through what I call a ‘Relevance Emergency’ for several years now. Today the world is changing at an even more accelerated pace – faster than you can imagine. We are in a true renaissance period for humanity, so stay flexible in your goals and expectations, so that they can evolve with technology, rather than aging out.
One of the big advantages of the new Spatial Web Protocol is that it enables unprecedented levels of global interoperability, regardless of what tech stack is being used. This is also the framework to bring to life all emerging technologies like Digital Twin simulation, AR, VR, DLT, IoT, and more, so think BIG. This will change everything we know about computing, while it ushers in the foundation for a personalized experience driven economy.
Prioritize foundational understanding over superficial trends, foster interdisciplinary curiosity, and cultivate strong communication skills to translate complex ideas into actionable strategies. Crucially, maintain an open mind to collaboration and diverse perspectives, as breakthrough innovations often arise from cross-disciplinary intersections and creative synthesis of knowledge.”
For more insights about Denise Holt’s work, please visit https://learninglab.emmersionpublishing.com/ and https://aixglobalmedia.com/
This interview was conducted by our Head of outreach, Ansh Vachhani, The Social Digest on 10/09/2025. If you have any interview recommendations or have a story that you want to share with our readers, get in touch with our editor Vedant Bhrambhatt, at editor@thesocialdigest.com
