The Metaverse and Synthetic Humans: DARQ Futures?

Synthetic Humans - really? Sure, sounds crazy, science fiction or paradoxical given synthetic conjures 'fake', 'artificial' or an 'imitation' designed to replace the 'real'. Whereas 'human' relates to intrinsic characteristics of feeling, memory, emotion, and freedom of choice to engage with the 'real'. However, and regardless of the clunky phrase and semantic debates, synthetic humans are here, are developing fast and will, increasingly, touch and become part of your life. I posted about this a while back, referencing the sci-fi 'Replicant' of Bladerunner, 'Agent Smiths' of Matrix or 'NPCs' (Non-Playing Characters) of Free Guy. However, the concept of 'synthetic humans', and as I discuss later the concept of 'synthesised humans', is far from sci-fi. A good illustration of this can be seen here with 'Emma':

Now, while Emma might give you an idea of the 'synthetic humans' debate, actually the buzz and controversy over the provides a great way to discuss the e-Volution of synthetic humans. Moreover, and while I'll get to definitionary debates, remember the Metaverse is in its infancy. What we see now is more, what I call, 'intimations of the Metaverse'. However, when I highlight Emma and 'synthetic humans', it is essential that you understand that you are looking at the power and potential of artificial intelligence (AI). More interestingly you are really only looking at artificial narrow intelligence (ANI), which actually surrounds you as ANI is in your smarphone, Siri, Alexa, social media to self-driving car. The drive is for artificial general intelligence (AGI), which is on par with human intelligence. Finally, there is artificial super intelligence (ASI), which takes us beyond human intelligence. So when I speak of the Metaverse and 'synthetic humans' I would like you to think of Emma an a current ANI Metaverse then think of an accelerated AGI, or more, ASI Metaverse. Of course, and as we will see later, an AGI to ASI Metaverse is highly controversial. However, while AGI is arguably far off, for many the creation of AGI will come and ASI soon after (Russell, 2019) and, as I argue, an AGI/ASI Metaverse and 'synthetic humans'.

Actually the reason for this article came from a strange pattern of responses when discussing an ASI Metaverse and 'synthetic humans' with people. You see I have been lecturing, writing, and presenting on the Metaverse for some time. Moreover, given my poststructuralist Future Studies focus, I've been teaching, discussing and debating in this area for decades. Of course, as soon as I mention terms like Future Studies or the associated age of acceleration, fourth industrial revolution (4iR), transformational DARQ technologies, web3, NFTs, metacapitalism and Metaverse, folks roll their eyes, fall asleep or go 'future what? Put more simply I'm interested in how transformational technologies are challenging and changing the world and everything in it including, me, you and so, by implication, what it is be 'human'.?As for Future Studies I often get folks to think of the Now-Near-Next of technologies evidential impacts and work through preferable, probable, projected, plausible, possible to preposterous futures (Varso, 2017). However, the five principles of speed, excess, virtuality, post and transhumanism and utopian/dystopian always resonate with people, illustrate the techno-cultural age we are living in and link to an accelerating Metaverse.

Nevertheless, while I have presented on transformational DARQ technologies, the Metaverse and its implications for a number of areas including business, health and social care, education, events and sport etc I noticed people struggle to grasp I'm actually talking about them. They tend to focus on the abstract, fields of business or life distance or detach themselves or the human from the process. So, to be clear we are living in an age of acceleration, an unprecedented age where the speed, scale and scope of technologies see us transitioning to a fourth industrial revolution (4iR):

Thing is we have been undergoing technological transformation for some time and, more interestingly, we are complicit in reimagining and reconstructing the 'self'. By this I mean our obsession with social media. Today, I'd argue that, most people, have '5 selves'. First there is the biological self; the 'real' eating, breathing, sleeping you, the biological being whose physical performativity is worked out in the everyday (Butler, 1990). Secondly, there is the 'digital self'; the digitised you that you have distilled, captured, maybe airbrushed and uploaded. This is the digital self you construct, control and, most importantly, having learned the 'illusio' or rules of the social media game, repetitively inscribe and perpetuate this new mode of cyber-spatial performativity (Bourdieu, 1990). Thridly, there is the 'family and friends self'; this is the self now commented and posted on by those who know you best. They add to your story, layer in another, digitally deeper reading of you. Fourthly, there is the 'global self'; this is where the world piles in with comments, posts, pictures and, most likely, some negative narratives about you. Finally, you have the 'AI self'; this is the 'algorithmic self', which scans, scrapes and profiles across all the selves and feeds in with recommendations and shaping suggestions. For me, this is most interesting, and worrying, for this 'AI self' of social media points to the future 'synthetic self'.

Moreover, these 5 selves of social media and this age of acceleration reflect the integrated power and potential of the Tsunami of technologies that are challenging and changing how we work, learn and live. This is be illustrated by what I refer to as those transformational DARQ technologies. DARQ technologies meaning distributed ledger systems, artificial intelligence, augmented, virtual, mixed to extended reality and quantum computing. Moreover, DARQ is touching pretty much everything:

The thing is, transformational DARQ technologies, and others that are developing such as haptics (ability to feel and sense across space and time), nanotech, brain to computer interface (BCI), and most importantly for here, AI intergrated synthetic media, all feed into the whole accelerating Metaverse and so 'synthetic humans' debate. Moreover, it raises a fundamental issue and need for us to grasp we are all part of this tranhuman shift:

Now that powerfully captures transhumanism and how we will integrate science and technology into the human condition. Again, citing author and academic Juan Henriquez's 'homo evolutis' and 'the being that evolves itself' and futurist Ray Kurzweil how we shifted from cave to off planet, it argues that 'transhumanism', and so transformational technology, is really part of our embodied human condition. Or as I've argued elsewhere:

What we are witnessing is a transhuman e-volution, a digital disruption of desire if you will, whereby technologies are, increasingly, challenging time, space and subjectivity. Our techno-future is one directed at overcoming those physical laws and, most importantly, frustrations with, the embodied state.' (Frew, 2017 )

Synthetic humans accentuate this transhuman shift, how we are frustrated with our 'embodied state' and seek new ways to challenge, or recreate, 'time, space and subjectivity'. Again, while this might sound like some sci-fi movie or, for some, a way off preposterous future, it is most certainly note. Actually, the deepfake, which is powered by AI synthetic media illustrates the speed, scale and scope of synthetic media and its utopian and dystopian possibilities. According to Nina Schick (2020) as much as 90% of online content will come from generative AI synthetic media.

Having spoken at conferences and on TV on the impact of deepfake synthetic media in relation to the global crime of stalking (i.e. 'iPredator to Virtual Stalker: Rise of DARQ Dreamworlds' for Actin Against Stalking Conference and Scotland Tonigh, 6th November 2019; 'Synthetic Stalking?: Deepfake, AI and the Metaverse' for Centre for Action Against Stalking 16th February 2022) the deepfake phenomenon most certainly not friviolous fun. Moreover, 'public datasets and increased computing power' will accelerate the 'use of deepfake technology to facilitate various criminal acts and conduct disinformation campaigns to influence or distort public opinion' making it, increasingly, 'difficult to distinguish from authentic content' (Europol, 2022). Clearly, the whole deepfake and synthetic media and, as we will see, synthetic humans phenomenon challenges notions of 'reality':

'The rise of synthetic media and deepfakes is forcing us towards an important and unsettling realization: our historical belief that video and audio are reliable records of reality is no longer tenable.' (Adjer et al: 2019a)

This conception of 'reality' 'authenticity' and 'fake' is a Alice and Wonderland rabbit hole in so many way and one that will not go away. Again, we will see, the notion of 'synthetic resurrection'; bringing dead entertainers, artists or even loved ones back from the dead has positive and negative implications. As Adjer (2019b) argues the 'ethical status of this ‘synthetic resurrection’ are far from clear'. Nevertheless, as we wrestle with this robotics has also muddied the waters of 'reality'. For, like the synthetic, robotics are looking to mirror, augment and move beyond the biological human capacities: while augmenting and going beyond human capacities:

Again, while recent robotics work utilises AI to mimic laughter (Devlin, 2022), this reveals how robotics and synthetic humans reflect or 'frustrations with the embodied state' or the problem of the biological human. Essentially the evolutionary biology that develops a protective endoskeleton, body and brain allowing us to thrive and dominate has become a problem. Our biological evolution is too slow for our intellectual and technological evolution. The biological body that is designed to serve and protect is contains and constrains us. While transhumanism has always addressed this the rise and acceleration of the Metaverse brings this and the whole 'synthetic human' debate, into stark focus.?

The thing is the Metaverse provides an umbrella concept that pulls accelerating transformational DARQ technologies, transhumanism and synthetic humans together. Firstly the DARQ technologies are fundamental to the development of a decentralised and blockchain enabled web3 (Gilbert, 2022 ; Wong, 2022 ). DARQ and web3 provide the fundamental foundations upon which the Metaverse is built. Now rather than engage in definitory debates around the Metaverse (see Park and Kim, 2022 ) for array of definitions and debates) I'd offer Matthew Ball (2021; 2022):?

“The Metaverse is a massively scaled and interoperable network of real-time rendered 3D virtual worlds which can be experienced synchronously and persistently by an effectively unlimited number of users with an individual sense of presence, and with continuity of data, such as identity, history, entitlements, objects, communications, and payments.” (Ball, 2021 )

Personally, the Metaverse reflects is more 'rhizomatic...decentred, co-created and convergent' and so an 'endlessly evolving ecosystems of interconnectivity where our physical, technological and biological being and worlds will, increasingly, blur'. As such the Metaverse, being more fluid and fragmented, is beyond definitory fixation.?

Ideally, we will not so much go into the metaverse as embody it. It will be woven in and through the fabric of our life, surrounding and saturating us. As such it will challenge and change our notions of 'reality', time, space and subjectivity. The metaverse reflects both a post and transhuman revolution. A reimagining of what it is to be human as we accelerate and integrate the advances of science and technology into our very being and so 'reality'. (Frew, 2022 )

Right now, the Metaverse debate tends to get caught in the 'fake/digital/inauthentic' Vs 'real/physical/authentic' debate or deflects on to cynical V optimist polemics focused on fields and pros/cons applications. Again, from a Future Studies perspective, these are false arguments for, as above, it’s about us, our human condition and its transhuman future. With the Metaverse the notion of the synthetic human simply moves front and centre, and we will, increasingly, struggle to avoid it. As stressed above the 'synthetic human' has been around for ages and it’s not difficult to chart its e-Volution.

Interestingly, you often hear detractors of the Metaverse as referring to it as another 'Second Life'. While this is not the case Second life does point to an intimation of the 'synthetic' with the development of the personalised digital avatar. Drive forward and, just as the technology develops, so does the fascination and development of digital:synthetic. From the established Japanese virtual pop star Hatsune Miku , sophisticated Pepper's Ghost of 2Pac SnoopDog performance at Coachella 2012 , kids in Minecraft, Roblox, to 12 million paying attendees at the Travis Scott Fortnite concert (here in 360VR ), SnoopDog in Sandbox , or full Ariana Grande Tour and through to the volumetric video of Abba Voyage (see below) we are witnessing the progressive development of the 'synthetic human'.

I've argued for many years that the events and entertainment industries will be transformed by DARQ technologies and, now, an accelerating Metaverse (see Death of Festivity and Events). Recently, this was debated at the 'DCMS Committee to hear from ABBA Voyage producer on connected tech in entertainment ' (22/11/2022) where Abba Voyage Producer, Svana Gisla was asked if, in future, avatars would be able to interact and make eye contact with audiences:

‘with render time becoming quicker, with technology becoming faster Benny and Bjorn could be sitting in a chair like this one connected to their avatars talking about last night’s football results to the audience…That will come!

(Svana Gisla, Producer, ABBA Voyage)

However, Gisla, when asked about the Metaverse, argued that Abba Voyege was consciously created not to be fully digital and online as the whole concept was about bringing people toghether for an 'emotional experience'. Moreover, she was concerned about the Metaverse for 'with technology its made us very insular. It's a very lonley existence to live in technology.' Interestingly, she reveals the foundations of her concerns when arguing that technology is:

'made to connect one-to-one with a device. We see it in our children; we see it in our grandchildren. Their social skills and thier interactive, emotional experience of being with people and experiencing things with people is getting lost...We are a pack animal and it's only very, very recently we have been encouraged not to be.' (Svana Gisla, Producer, Abba Voyage)

Unsurprisingly these comments went down very well with the Select Committee. To be fair to Svana Gisla she did preface here response with 'I don't consider myself to be tech expert or the most knowledgable person in the world about the Metaverse'. However, such views and the enthusiasm the powers that be jump on them is nothing new when we look back at the history of technologies. The concept of the media and moral panics (Cohen, 1972) goes way back and often youth culture is a target. Technologies like TV, music or today with smartphones and gaming are implicated. What is intersting is you see a common theme in these media and moral panics. Concerns over out youth, their behaviour and, always a good one, thier physical, social and emotional health. So no surprise the Metaverse is opened to the same treatment. Of course anyone who looks even and current intimations of the Metaverse will see socialisation, emotion and co-creation are central.

Nevertheless, I have argued that, just as Generation Z showcased the mature social media and saturated 'screenager' (Rushkoff, 1997 ), so our Fortnite, Minecraft, Roblox Gen Alpha (born 2010) and soon to be Gen Beta (2024) are all being groomed for the Metaverse. The shift from the personalised cartoon avatar to that of the deeper synthetic is a transition already taking place. I've highlighted this on a number of occassions. From a brand perspective you can see this with the shift from the 'human' influencer to the 'synthetic influencer'. Just have a look at Prada's Candy or Miquela:

Thing is these 'virtual influencers', as they call them, are simply a stepped progression off the traditional celebrity, to social media human influencer through to this virtual, or rather synthetic, influencer. Synthetics, like the radio, movie or pop star celebrities and social media influencers, are another reflection of the transhuman transitions. We will, increasingly, see the development of the synthetic in many walks of life. The fashionistas are pretty much at the forefront:

Of course the rise and power of synthetic media can be seen in more sinister areas such as stalking. I've highlighted this for a number of years most recently in a presentation 'Synthetic Stalking? Deepfake AI and the Metaverse’ (Frew, 2021). Actually, Nina Schick argues that synthetic media is accelerating at such speed that:

‘It is existential for us. I make a prediction that 90% of online content is going to be generated by AI by 2025. We are going to see an explosion of content that is generated or created by AI. (Nina Schick, Today BBC, 2023; Deep Fakes and the Infocalypse 2020)

A central point for Schick and many others is that synthetic media and the concept of the 'synthetic human' is powered by AI, which for many is seen as the most powerful of DARQ technologies. This being highlighted by Sundra Pichai who views AI as more powerful that 'fire'.

Of course, as highlighted above, we must remember that most AI that we engage with in the everyday is narrow artificial intelligence (NAI). Nevertheless, there are many who are concerned at the pace and future of AI as it drives towards AGI, which would, eventually, spawn ASI. So the future of AI does take us down the classic Future Studies principle of utopian/dystopian view. The likes of Stephen Hawking or Prof Stuart Russell have long debated and raised concernes over the pace and power of AI.

Again Elon Musk, while a great advocate of transformational technologies, is another who has expressed fears over AI:

Interestingly, Musk alludes to one of the problems of science, scientists and Modernity; to justify our actions in the name 'progress' is delusion, a trick as 'progress' is a destination without end. Or more aptly summed up by Jeff Goldblum's charachter in the movie Jurasic Park 'Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.' Again, Prof Stuart Russell amplifies this concern over AI when highlighting its use in 'autonomous warfare'. 'Slaughterbots', while a short film, very much reflects the real and current threat of AI killer drones/robots so much the UN met in 2021 seeking to ban them :

Nevertheless, when we take NAI and the move AGI/ASI, we are looking at the trajectory of transformational DARQ technologies and an accelerating Metaverse where, I argue, we will see the transhuman development of 'synthetic humans'. Actually, the 'sophisticated' Emma, highlighted at the start of this article, will become standard or a simplified illustration as DARQ technology develops and integrates moving the 'synthetic' from the margins to the mainstream. More importantly, as the ANI integrates with an accelerating Metaverse that is persistent and woven in and through our life, the whole deepfake, 'real' v 'fake' and 'synthetic resurrection' will explode utopian and dystopian positions. Given my poststructuralist Future Studies background I'd normally launch in from the more dystopian side. However, and like Cathy Hackle, its worth taking a more positive view of an accelerating Metaverse and synthetic humans.

Actully, there are a number of companies who are pushing a more positive agenda and recognise the power and potential of an accelerating Metaverse, I argue that the development of these companies and their Metaverse synthetics point to a reconceptualiation of 'metacapitalism', which was coined over 20years ago with the rise of digital revolution, social media and e-commerce (Means, et al 2000). Today, with the Metaverse and the synthetic humans metacapitalism allows the base concept of capitalism to reinvent for a stellar age. Given an accelerated Metaverse revolutionises and reimagines how we work, learn and live (Ball, 2022) consumer capitalism is transformed. With an accelerated Metaverse worlds of consumption can be created and cloned. Synthetic humans can work and innovate; products, experiences, fantasy offerings and 'othering' takes on infinate. Moreover, we can synthetically resurrect the past be that events, friends or family. Of course this view of metacapitalism screams for a reworking of DeBord's 'Spectacle', Zizek's 'fantastic supplement of ideology' or Foucault's 'governmentality' and the power, knowledge, subject triad of discourse. However, and while I have touch on these critical conceptualisations, the phenomenon of 'synthetic humans' will power and actualise a future accelerated Metaverse.

Take Soul Machines for example. They are looking to populate the future Metaverse with digital people to 'positively reshape and transform work, education, healthcare, entertainment, and companionship.' For Soul Machines, who are 'committed to producing socially beneficial human-machine collaborations', this is the future of a brands as they develop 'innovations to redefine customer and brand experience':

Again Soul Machines integrates AI at its core. With the help of AI the seek to support customers and clients by creating 'synthetic' or, as they call them, 'digital people' who can provide 'user experiences with engaging and emotional connections'. A great way of illustrating (or selling) this to us is through the use of celebrities such as Will-i-am:

Another revealing take on Soul Machines can be seen with their 'twining' of golfing legend Jack Nicklaus. Here they capture the living 82 year old Nicklaus and digitally twin him back to his 40yr old prime. However, 'Digital Jack' is then integrated with AI, which allows us to:

'move from, you know, the 2D world of the internet to the 3D world of the Metaverse they've got to think about customer expereience...with 'Digital Jack' (Nicklaus)...millions of people can get to feel like they have somthing of a personal experience'

More importantly, the creation of 'Digital Jack' points to more powerful and controversial aspects of the 'synthetic humans'. This is far more that just a new brand approach for Metaverse marketeers. Actually, 'Digital Jack' not only allows Nicklus to be recreated as a younger, athletic and successful self. The AI, with the help of Nicklaus' memories, knowledge and life histories, allows Nicklaus and us to reanimate, relive and interact with the past and a past Nicklaus. Actually, this and the commercial potential here, is not lost on Nicklaus:

'I think it's kind of unique. You'd like to go back and show people what you did, when you did it and what you might say today. I think its something that, from a company standpoint, it'd be used for decades.'

(Jack Nicklaus, 2022)

This illustrates how 'synthetic humans' are essentail and will fuel metacapitalism. By taking the 'greatest golfer ever; we're going to be able to take his ideas, his appraoch and share that with many generations' we point to the ability to immortalise and capitalise on the past. Of course from a Future Studies perspective an AI infused Metaverse of increasingly sophisticated 'synthetic humans' able to reanimate, recreate, relive and so learn past to present does point to a ASI 'singularity' (Kurzweil, 2006; Lee eta al 2021) of utopian/dystopian post and transhuman possibilities.

Regardless, and while I return to the problem of our biological being, mortality and 'humanity', the development of the 'syntheitc' market continues at pace. Altered State Machine (ASM) are another company who openly focused on a future Metaverse populated by your AI cloned 'synthetic'. For them the 'expansive and complex' Metaverse will be 'always-on' and 'today’s chatbots, voice assistants and non-player characters (NPCs) can evolve to become next-gen smart sidekicks.'

However, with likes of Soul Machines or ASM, and as I've argued before, the Metaverse its not so much digital twining but digital cloning. A future Metaverse will allow digital clones where you can assume multiple identities or personas and where, in worlds offering ecosystems of expereince, fiction and fantsy becomes 'reality' (and I'll deal with the philosophical minefield of 'reality' below).

In echoing a rhizomatic and persistent Metaverse Sould Machine and ASM are asserting the transhuman 'synthetic humans'. There are no cartoon avatars here. Rather an evolved AI 'altered' and synthetically cloned you who can be 'assisted' by ASM 'smart-agents' who will helps has 'navigate' the worlds and ecosystems of experiences the Metaverse has to offer. However, the whole 'synthetic human' is a concept, and new market, that is being fought over by global Leviathans.

Recently China, being comfortable with 'virtual influencers' and digital pop stars, asserted their interest in building their own version of the Metaverse. Of course, the irony of a decentralised Metaverse and authoritarian China is not lost here. However, and unsurprisingly, China's interest in the Metaverse brought the rise and development of the 'synthetic human' under its critical and commercial gaze. Backed by President Xi Jinping they have just released a new action plan called 'Beijing Action Plan for Promoting the Innovation and Development of the Digital Human Industry' (Tobin, 2022).

Of course, 'digital human industry' does jump out with sinister connotations. Projected into an accelerated DARQ Metaverse the 'synthetic human' can be 'used' to enhance your extended reality experience or even an 'synthetic' clone you inhabit, become 'other' in and with to engage new environments and experience with others. Echoes of the sci-fi? Possibly! However, its not difficult to see a trajectory here. Moreover, and regardless of China, there are many companies where the target is not the 'synthetic human' is more the 'synthesised human'. This is the Metaverse that surrounds and saturates you and for that to happen you will need some technological enhancement:

Again, Mojo and embodied technology, as with the 'synthetic human', is nothing new but has a long history. Moreover, just as a future Metaverse opens the possibility to be 'other' and engage in persistent and personalised extended reality experiences where your senses are so saturated the concept of 'reality' will be obsolete, there those looking to slay bigger beasts that haunt humanity. By this I'm referring to death. A classic Future Studies debate that takes us to the singularity (won't bore you). However, as here integrating virtual reality with haptics (touch/sense), we are using transformational DARQ technologies to bring back and relive the past even with the dead:

Regardless of your position here all of this highlights the fact that transformational DARQ technologies and an accelerating Metaverse are guaranteed to throw up huge questions. We are living in an unprecedented age. However, while the DARQ Metaverse is accelerating fast, 'synthetic' or 'synthesised' humans are happening or we look to break the ultimate taboo or biological barriers, what we need to remember is that all this is about a us; about a what it means to be human.?Time to ponder that on the Tree of Woe!

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