“I just want to acknowledge that I get that probably there are a bunch of people will say that this isn’t a time to focus on the future. And I want to acknowledge that there are clearly important issues to work on in the present. And we’re committed to continuing to do that and continuing the massive industry-leading effort that we have on that. At the same time, I think there will always be issues in the present. So I think it’s still important to push forward and continue trying to create what the future is.” 

These words were quoted by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg at a press event ahead of Facebook’s renaming to Meta. And the future he talked about is Metaverse – the next technological evolution. 

Similarly-timed is Inworld AI’s seed funding where it raised $7 billion for building a platform that creates AI-driven virtual characters. The goal is to develop “characters that can interact naturally with wide-ranging and completely open dialog” and thus plunge headfirst into the metaverse.  

What is Metaverse? How do we define it? 

Well, for a better understanding, consider it as a real version of the Matrix. Pulled right from the pages of science fiction, the metaverse is a fully immersive environment in which users leverage virtual reality, live streaming, cryptocurrency, and a host of other technologies to navigate a digital world that, would become as important as the real world. 

Just like Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash, it could be defined as a multi-user real-time virtual space where individuals around the world can connect via a network, co-exist and socialize; a persistent place that you can access, change, leave, and return to. 

Or as Shaan Puri, a serial founder tweeted, “The metaverse is the moment in time where our digital life is worth more to us than our physical life. This is not an overnight change. It’s a gradual change that’s been happening for 20 yrs. Every important part of life is going digital. Your friends, your job, your identity. And now with crypto, your assets are online too. Bored Apes are the new Rolex. Fortnite skins are the new skinny jeans. Play this forward another 10-20 years, we will cross into the metaverse. The moment in time where digital matters more to us than physical.” 

In the gaming library today, there exist a lot of examples that could fit into this description. Minecraft, Dreams, Fall Guys, Roblox and Fortnite, all are forms of the metaverse. Each of these contains different characteristics that define the Metaverse, even if they didn’t manage to achieve them all. Roblox, in fact, no longer calls itself a game on anymore; instead, it’s now an experience. 

And the key to making this experience the next frontier of the gaming industry’s next frontier is tools like AI - that learn from and understand the audience.  

Role of AI 

Today, AI is already assisting in daily tasks like checking, coding, testing, and generating stories. As more people switch to digital creation, AI is expected to play the role of a creative assistant, working next to humans. In the metaverse, AI systems will learn from prior examples and assist with new creative processes. 

Another way in which AI can be significant is knowing and shaping a user’s experience in the metaverse. AI personas can predict how the players or group would act in terms of interests, preferences, and motivations. These predictions would then be used to tailor the players’ experience with the most engaging content and interactions. 

AI could even open the opportunity to leave behind your imprints in the metaverse. Just like the Driavtars in Forza Motorsport, we can have our AI doubles to fill in for us in the metaverse, when are not around to play. 

From shaping realistic AI character behaviors and generating virtual environments to automated bug finding, AI has limitless potential applications to offer. And whichever form, the metaverse takes, AI will be its catalyst.