Artificial Intelligence in the Metaverse: Linking Virtual and Reality

Artificial intelligence (AI) applications are now more common than you might think. A Deloitte report found that 40 percent of companies already have an organization-wide AI strategy in place.

Commonly seen in commercial applications today, AI facial recognition, natural language processing (NLP) , faster computing and various other underlying processes play an important role.

It's only a matter of time before artificial intelligence is applied to augmented and virtual reality to build smarter, immersive worlds. AI has the potential to parse massive amounts of data at lightning speed to generate insights and drive action. Users can leverage AI for decision-making (which is the case for most enterprise applications), or combine AI with automation for low-touch processes.

Metaverse will use augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) combined with artificial intelligence and blockchain to create scalable and accurate virtual worlds.

What is the Metaverse and why is artificial intelligence needed?

The metaverse is defined as a vast virtual space in which users can interact with 3D digital objects and each other's 3D virtual avatars in complex ways that mimic the real world.

The idea of a metaverse was first coined by sci-fi writer Neil Stephenson in the early 90s, and eventually developed by companies like Second Life, Decentraland, Microsoft, and more recently Meta (formerly Facebook).

Now, Facebook is widely recognized for its work on artificial intelligence and complex AI algorithms.

The company's AI research spans multiple domains, such as content analysis, self-supervised speech processing, robotic interaction, computer vision, full-body pose estimation, and more.

All of this could shed light on the company's future direction as Meta and drive the foundations of its own version of the Metaverse.

5 AI Use Cases in the Metaverse

While VR worlds can technically exist without artificial intelligence, the combination of the two opens up a whole new level of realism. This could affect the following five use cases:

Precise virtual avatar production (Avatar)

Users are at the center of the Metaverse, and the accuracy of your avatar will determine the quality of your experience and that of other participants. The AI engine can analyze 2D user images or 3D scans to provide highly realistic simulation reproductions.

It can then map various facial expressions, emotions, hairstyles, features brought about by aging, etc. to make the avatar more dynamic.

Companies like Ready Player Me can build American-style avatars. The simple and easy-to-operate web platform allows users to quickly create American-style game-style virtual avatars. After throwing them into Unity , they can set up their own skeletons to make your virtual avatars. Lively move, and even the expression can be set by yourself. And Meta is developing its own version of the technology.

The VRoid launched by the illustration platform Pixiv can create Japanese-style anime-style characters that do not collide with others by simply pinching their faces. The output in VRM format can be used on many platforms, such as the recently very popular VTuber. Will use VRoid for production.

digital reality

Digital humans are 3D versions of chatbots that exist in the metaverse. They're not replicas of another human being, really -- instead, they're more like AI-enabled non-game characters (NPCs) in video games that react to your actions in the VR world.

Digital humans are built entirely using artificial intelligence technology and are vital to the landscape of the metaverse.

There is a simulacrum here that can chat with Einstein . If you have a VR device, you can also try it, I will be afraid of pulling......

Interoperable translation in multiple languages--the world's great unity is really about to be realized??

One of the primary ways in which digital humans use artificial intelligence is language processing.

AI can help break down a natural language like English, convert it into a machine-readable format, perform analysis, come up with a response, convert the result back to English and send it to the user. The whole process takes a fraction of a second - just like a real conversation. The best part is that the results can be translated into any language, depending on the training of the AI so that users from all over the world can easily communicate with each other across language barriers in the metaverse. Off topic, will humans want to build the Babel Tower again?

Massive expansion of the VR world

This is where AI really comes into play. When the AI engine receives historical data, it learns from previous outputs and tries to come up with its own output (deep learning).

With new inputs, human feedback, and machine learning reinforcements (neuron networks), the output of AI gets better every time.

Eventually, AI will be able to perform tasks and provide almost human-like output. Companies like NVIDIA are training artificial intelligence to create entire virtual worlds. This breakthrough will help drive the scalability of the Metaverse, as new worlds can be added without human intervention.

intuitive interface

Finally, AI can also assist human-computer interactions (HCI). When you wear an AI-enabled VR, its sensors will be able to read and predict your electrical and muscle patterns to know exactly how you want to move around the virtual world.

AI can help reproduce true touch in VR. It also helps enable voice navigation, so you can interact with virtual objects without using a hand controller.

Challenges surrounding artificial intelligence in the metaverse

It's important to remember that the metaverse is a new area of research and application, and AI implementation may encounter problems. For example, there might be the following questions:

1. Ownership of AI-created content – who owns and can monetize AI-created content and the VR world?
2. Deepfakes and User Transparency - How do you ensure users know they are interacting with AI and not someone else? How can you prevent deepfakes and fraud?
3. Fair Use of AI and Machine Learning - Can users legally apply AI/ML techniques to Metaverse interactions? For example, can they use AI code to win a game?
4. The right to use data for AI model training - how do we ethically train AI for the Metaverse? What consent mechanisms are involved?
5. Accountability for AI Bias - What are the possible recourses if digital humans or similar AI algorithms exhibit bias?

Finally, without artificial intelligence, it will be difficult to create engaging, realistic, and scalable metaverse experiences. That's why companies like Meta are working closely with think tanks and ethics groups to curb the risks of AI without inhibiting the technology's potential.

ref:

https://www.xrtoday.com/virtual-reality/artificial-intelligence-in-the-metaverse-bridging-the-virtual-and-real/