The metaverse brings limitless possibilities that will transform the world in all dimensions and usher in new opportunities, ranging from entertainment to digital assets, while helping boost social harmony, according to experts in various fields surrounding this virtual environment technology.
The metaverse brings limitless possibilities that will transform the world in all dimensions and usher in new opportunities, ranging from entertainment to digital assets, while helping boost social harmony, according to experts in various fields surrounding this virtual environment technology.
They shared their views in “Metaverse Unlimited” online seminar, organised during Dec 15-16 by Translucia Metaverse, Thailand’s first metaverse project created by T&B Media Global (Thailand), an entertainment company.
Ten world-renowned researchers, marketers, strategic leaders, architects, designers and graphic designers took turns to share their insights and perspectives on growth trends and new opportunities from the metaverse at the event.
The event was created through collaboration by local and international partners to share their knowledge and experience about the metaverse, forecast its future trends and discuss its role in how people will live, according to Jwanwat Ahriyavraromp, CEO and Founder of T&B Media Global (Thailand) and Translucia Metaverse.
“We envision Translucia to be the place where imagination becomes reality, the place everyone is dreaming of. We envision ourselves as the bridge between the real and virtual worlds, where we drive positive impacts that matter to all.”
He said the project will contribute to a balanced society and drive business by transforming how people live.
“Translucia is the integration of advanced technologies, imagination and creativity,” he said.
Karndee Leopairote, Executive Vice President at FutureTales Lab by Magnolia Quality Development Corporation Limited (MQDC), a property developer and partner in Translucia, pointed out that Translucia not only creates happiness from external resources but also internally from people’s minds and bodies.
Translucia is driven by an engine that will create goodness, prosperity, wellness and happiness in society, she claimed.
Translucia defines “goodness” as being good to others, to the world, and to yourself. With this in mind, the project aims to change the traditional definition of P&L from “Profit & Loss” to “Purpose & Legacy”.
According to Ms Karndee, this international forum could serve as a catalyst for driving “metaverse for good” with the focus on creating happiness for people.
SHARED VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT
The metaverse is a virtual world where people can interact and do activities in a shared virtual environment such as conferences, entertainment and shopping.
Cathy Hackl, Chief Metaverse Officer & CEO, The Futures Intelligence Group, a metaverse consultancy, said Web 2.0 is now evolving towards Web 3.0 where people, places, things and assets can be in a fully virtual environment.
Known as “Godmother of the Metaverse”, Ms Hackl said the metaverse is Web 3.0 with convergence of physical and digital lives, supported by various technologies, including augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), 5G, edge, cloud computing, blockchain, artificial intelligence (AI) and non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
In the music and entertainment industries, there would be so-called “metaverse moments” happening such as concerts. For example, pop star Ariana Grande has performed in the popular video game Fortnite’s metaverse.
“It is the interplay of entertainment and gaming that truly makes the metaverse a unique experience,” she said.Some types of wearable glasses can get people into the metaverse with massive multiplayer shared experiences.
According to Ms Hackl, US game platform Roblox, which also delivers a metaverse experience, has seen more messages delivered via its platform than those being sent via WhatsApp on a daily basis.
Roblox is a community where people come together, especially young people, to engage in activities.
She said it is estimated that US$100 billion will be spent by gamers on virtual items inside game platforms worldwide in 2021. This does not include NFTs.
Culture and fashion can be experienced in virtual spaces. For example, global sportswear giant
Nike launched virtual sneakers in the metaverse which sold quickly. This proves that conducting business in the metaverse can be successful, she said.
Mars House, the world’s first digital house NFT, designed by Krista Kim, was sold for US$500,000 earlier this year.
People can use a mobile phone to scan a QR code to view holograms of artworks, entertainment content and information.
“In the metaverse, we are all world builders,” said Ms Hackl. “In the next 10 years, it will be incredibly important for building this future.”
VR POWER
Jeremy Bailenson, Founding Director, Virtual Human Interaction Lab at Stanford University, said virtual reality (VR) can be a potential tool to foster a better education environment.
“We can choose the Engage platform designed around teaching and learning and lots of different affordances and benefits of the technology circle around the classroom, helping teachers bring content to students,” he said.
“Those who are going to try to teach in VR will require a drastic retooling of the curriculum.”
VR tech can also be used to promote environmental protection.
Stanford researchers developed the Stanford Ocean Acidification Experience, a virtual underwater ecosystem that allows users to learn how carbon dioxide destroys coral.
“Regarding human empathy when using VR where people use VR to occupy another person’s body in VR scenes, it has been found that VR experiences tend to increase pro-social behaviours and empathy towards others,” Mr Bailenson said.
David Bray, Principal at LeadDoAdapt Ventures, Distinguished Fellow of the Stimson Center and Atlantic Council, Young Global Leader by World Economic Forum, said the metaverse can be a way of sharing experience and “literally giving someone a chance to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes, so they have that empathy.”
People can then ask why there are still human conflicts and inequity. “If we think about that in terms of what we have in the real world, then it’s a question of how we can use the new experience that the metaverse provides to overcome those, and do so with human empathy and human dignity,” he said.
Corporations and countries that focus on centralisation, pulling data together and not allowing people to get creative or choose what they want, would lose job creation and other opportunities.
With the decentralised world of the metaverse, nation states will matter less while power will not go to any singular entity, he added.
POSITIVE DEEPFAKE
Pat Pataranutaporn, or “PP”, a young Thai futurist and Graduate Research Assistant at MIT Media Lab, said, “deepfake is developed using artificial intelligence to create a video that tricks people into believing that the person in the video says something when actually he or she did not.”
At MIT’s Media Lab, he and colleagues develop deepfake technology but only with positive applications.
“Imagine a future where you can learn from your favourite characters, like Einstein, Monroe or Harry Potter,” said Mr Pat.
AI-generated characters can allow learners to tap into wisdom from people in the past.
“You can ask Picasso or Steve Jobs questions and all these characters will have different answers,” he said, adding this type of technology can create inspiration and motivation and connect with cultural heritage.
In the future, wearable devices can be much smaller and integrated into other devices.
In the metaverse, wearable devices can sense information from a person’s body and extrapolate medical intervention.
“This will create the next generation of telemedicine and connect all the dots,” Mr Pat said.
He added that cyborgs and cybernetic organism can bring humans to the next level by augmenting their capability, allowing them to explore different versions of themselves, learn data and make better decisions.
METAVERSE ARCHITECTURE
Saenawee “Knot” Chatameteewong, Co-founder & Computational Design Director, DesireSynthesis, pointed out that in the metaverse, time goes much faster than in the real world. That makes it possible for a lot of utopian ideas that cannot be tested in the real world to be tested in the metaverse.
“You can test multiple ranges of ideas in the metaverse,” he said. “In the metaverse, people can start living in such and such a location and try out whether they like it or not before deciding to move there.”
According to Mr Saenawee, in the future, people will be able to sell conceptual designs in the metaverse.
“With computational design and robotic fabrication, the superimposed digital realm of the metaverse will be seamlessly bridged with the physical world. That means man and machine will co-exist in an encoded environment and have a hybrid experience every day. The way we live will not be the same anymore.”
way that leads to bias or limits access to basic services.”
Some people also use chatbots programmable to deliver hate speech which can generate conflicts.
“All stakeholders need to use the metaverse in a responsible way under standardised and proper supervision to make sure the metaverse is a safe place for users, with inclusiveness and equal access,” said Ms Casovan.
D. Fox Harrell, Professor of Digital Media & Artifical Intelligence at MIT, Director of the MIT Center for Advanced Virtuality, also pointed out that if users are not careful, negative bias will be
found in the metaverse.
He said that his research has found that online gamers can express their bias in terms of nationality and gender in gaming communities which could potentially affect child development. He concluded that, “Some studies suggest people can change behaviours based on what happens in the virtual world they engage with.”
