When you hear the word ‘metaverse,’ many think of the movie The Matrix. Are they different visions of an alternate universe where people can experience an immersive virtual reality? Yes, but we will need another decade or so for those developments. But is the Metaverse taking off? Well, that depends on who you ask. Some predict that the Metaverse could be fully realized within the next decade, while others believe it could take much longer – a journey versus a race. Even though it may be a long journey, it will also be a scenic one.
The Metaverse has captured minds and sparked conversations among professionals and individuals from all walks of life. While interpretations and perspectives of the Metaverse vary, what is certain is that its potential influence on our daily lives, activities, and interactions across industries and communities cannot be ignored. It has the potential to revolutionize the economy and societal structure as we know it.
What is the metaverse?
A play on the word universe, a metaverse shall be persistent and should be massive, comprehensive, immersive, and self-consistent. Described as "meta," a metaverse should be ultra-realistic, accessible, pervasive, and may be decentralized. In a narrow sense, metaverse may be simply defined as Persistent Virtual Reality (PVR). In a broad sense, metaverse is the advanced stage and long-term vision of Digital Transformation.
From the experiential view, metaverse refers to a kind of experience in which the outside world is perceived by the users, human or non-human, as being a universe that is built upon digital technologies as a different universe ("Virtual Reality"), a digital extension of our current universe ("Augmented Reality"), or a digital counterpart of our current universe ("Digital Twin"). On the other hand, a functional view sees metaverse as the next version of World Wide Web ("Web 3.0"), the next generation of the Internet, and the next stage of Digital Transformation.
Figure 1. Metaverse as the next biggest thing
What tools will boost the development of the metaverse?
With highly realistic and immersive 3D virtual environments created to alter the way we interact, learn, and socialize with each other, the Metaverse has tremendous potential to fundamentally transform how we work, learn, play, and live our lives.
Figure 2. Metaverse technology landscape
If you examine the metaverse technology landscape, in addition to the core technologies including “Spatial Computing” (extended senses and actions), “Persistent Computing” (persistent virtual worlds), and “Consensus Computing” (digital finance and economy), there are a range of supporting technologies that will be needed to provide the necessary boost to the Metaverse, such as computation, storage, communications, data, and artificial intelligence. We will be relying heavily on these advancements.
A powerful tool that can potentially boost the metaverse industry is generative AI – from both the supply side and the demand side. By leveraging this technology across multiple avenues, including text, images, voices, and 3D models, it will become easier for people to create immersive virtual worlds. Soon, users may be able to simply describe their desired virtual environment and have an AI-driven language model generate it. This could lead to a much larger pool of content creators in the metaverse industry. From the demand side, whether we like it or not, AI will replace a large amount of human labor, and then significantly increase the demand for new job opportunities and the demand for recreational services and facilities to accommodate fewer working hours and more leisure time. Addressing such increased demand in metaverses is probably the most sustainable and cost-effective approach.
How IEEE standards are pioneering the metaverse
IEEE has many standards under development related to the Metaverse. The first, IEEE P2048, addresses the need to provide a consistent vocabulary and a clear roadmap for metaverse developers, while the second, IEEE P7016, deals with ethical considerations for the design and operation of metaverse systems.
- IEEE P2048™ – Standard for Metaverse: Terminology, Definitions, and Taxonomy. Right now, the metaverse industry is in its infancy, and there is much hype, confusion, and misunderstanding about it. The lack of consensus, even on basic terminology, definitions, and taxonomy,not only can mislead early adopters but can also create unnecessary barriers to advancement. This standardwill help define a metaversevocabulary with categories and levels to establish a common ground for ongoing discussions, facilitate the sustainable development of metaverse-related activities, and promote the healthy growth of metaverse markets.
- IEEE P7016™ – Standard for Ethically Aligned Design and Operation of Metaverse Systems. This standard will provide a high-level overview of the techno-social aspects of metaverse systems and specify an ethical assessment methodology for use in their design and operation. It guides metaverse developers on how to adapt their processes to prioritize ethically aligned design of their systems; defines ethical system content regarding accessibility and functional safety; and guideshow to promote ethically aligned values and robust public engagement in the research, implementation, and proliferation of metaverse systems, to increase human well-being and environmental sustainability.
Are you interested in advancing the metaverse?
The Metaverse has the potential to be one of the most significant technological developments in human history. But to realize its potential, it needs the talents and experience of technology developers, content creators, device manufacturers, academic researchers, and many others.
We invite you to help develop this exciting new area, advance your organization’s viewpoint, and engage with others who, like you, want to participate in something significant and meaningful for the world. Join our Metaverse Community today.
