What is the Metaverse and how does it integrate AI?

When we think of the Metaverse our minds are immediately diverted to Facebook (now known as Meta). However, what many do not realise is that the idea of the metaverse actually dates back to the early 90s, when science fiction writer Neal Stephenson first coined the phrase. For those who are not in the know, the metaverse is essentially a simulated digital environment that uses a range of technology, such as blockchain, augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) to create 3D digital objects and 3D avatars, allowing for complex and rich user interaction that mimics the real world.

There is a growing interest in how artificial intelligence (AI) can play a part within the metaverse, particularly seen in the funding that Meta has been investing into research and development. Many of us will remember the chatbots that emerged in the mid-late 00’s Imagine those with a 3D digital body and the capacity to physically react in real time. For now, the concept is not to create fully functioning 3D digital humans, so there is no need to worry about this aspect of AI taking over the world. The idea is more in line with AI-enabled non-player characters (NPCs) that can respond in real time and react to your actions in the metaverse. The applications of this technology are enormous – think about VR Shops with shop assistants that are digital humans, providing perfect customer service 24 hours a day.

One of the applications that particularly excites me is the use of AI for language processing. It’s conceivable that the metaverse will create a landscape where language barriers don’t exist. We have spoken above about AI Digital Humans that can respond with actual engaging and insightful conversation. This happens via the AI breaking down languages from the speaker into a machine-readable format, to analyse and arrive at a response converting the results back into English. Significantly from this, the AI can convert the results back into any language, conceivably allowing users from around the world to not only be able to converse with the same AI Digital Humans, but also each other.

Without AI, it is difficult to create an interactive and engaging world. However, as exciting as the applications discussed here are, as with all new technologies, it is important to keep in mind that implementation of AI into the metaverse can cause some serious concerns. An area of major concern is ensuring users know when they are interacting with AI and not other humans, without diminishing the engagement and interactivity. Without a clear distinction, concerns around fraudulent behaviour are certainly valid and the potential impact to jobs and livelihoods are also very real – we have discussed above having AI shop assistants, but it does not stop there. Innovations in this space are moving at a rapid pace and it’ll be interesting to see what AI in the metaverse will do in the coming years.