Since ChatGPT went public on November 30, 2022, the tech world and beyond have had their eyes riveted on artificial intelligence (AI). While some have shown their skepticism, while others continue to stay away from it, OpenAI's chatbot has objectively demonstrated its prowess.
But AI doesn't stop at ChatGPT. Between image-generating, text-generating and video-generating artificial intelligences, there's plenty to do and test. That's when many rightly believe that this disruptive technology can be combined with another: Web3.
In this article, we attempted to demonstrate the synergies between generative artificial intelligence and the metaverse. While the latter is objectively no longer front-page news (which is a good thing for the projects being built), it could well benefit from the emergence of AI.
What is generative AI?
It's important to put things in context, because artificial intelligence is a broad and ancient field. So that you can understand what we're talking about, we're only talking about generative artificial intelligence, of which ChatGPT and Midjourney are the best-known representatives.
The main difference with other types of AI is easy access to the general public, which is THE key to its success. Generative AI is the ability of an algorithm to create something simply on the basis of a prompt. A prompt is simply an instruction you give to the AI.
For example, on Midjourney, you ask the AI to represent a "red cat wearing a green hat", and the algorithm (normally) outputs 4 images of red cats wearing green hats!
In other words, these generative AI interfaces save a great deal of time when it comes to carrying out tasks that are reputed to be time-consuming, redundant or complex. And this technology has much to offer the metaverse.
What metaverse for generative AI?
As you probably know, there isn't just one metaverse, but many. In the Web3 world, it's mainly divided into centralized and decentralized metaverse.
The centralized metaverse is offered by a company with a centralized structure. In other words, the metaverse in question is a product built by the company and offered to its users or customers. The best-known example is Meta's Horizon Worlds.
The decentralized metaverse is built on a public, decentralized blockchain, like Ethereum. There is no centralized governance. The best-known example is Decentraland, built on the Ethereum blockchain.
There may be synergies between AI and both types of metaverse. Its integration will be easier in centralized metaverses, thanks to less frictional decision-making. However, decentralized metaverses could also benefit.
Where AI and the metaverse converge
We have identified 4 points of convergence between AI and the metaverse:
- Virtual experiences,
- Virtual assistants,
- Content generation,
- Decisions based on the use of data.
Immersive experiences in the metaverse powered by AI
Aside from its Web3 aspect, which is still up for debate regarding centralized metaverses, the metaverse is first and foremost an immersive experience. Although we don't always need it, it is usually represented by people wearing virtual reality goggles to enter a virtual world. From this point of view, AI could have a role to play.
The metaverse offers immersive experiences in many fields, from the virtual office to the educational revolution. However, these experiences offer little or no personalization. Thanks to next-generation generative AI, it will be possible to predict what each user wants to experience.
For example, the user will be able to fill in certain elements related to their preferences beforehand, and the AI will do the work to find the most rewarding experience for each person.
In other words, there will be no predefined experiences in advance, apart from a theme (education, travel, office, etc.), which will facilitate the work of the protocol providers. The AI will be able to create tailor-made experiences, according to requests and people, without any upstream third-party intervention.
AI-driven virtual assistants and the metaverse
The world of virtual assistants is about to be turned upside down by AI. The metaverse will then represent only part of this revolution, as virtual assistants develop along with the rise of freelancing.
In today's metaverse, virtual assistants can be found when a company wants to chat with customers visiting a virtual boutique, for example. Assistants are then more or less equated with salespeople and customer service.
Thanks to AI, the user experience will be enhanced in the metaverse, thanks, once again, to an increasingly personalized experience. AI will be able to respond with far greater precision to customer queries, unlike the often haphazard responses of today's chatbots.
Finally, for those needing virtual assistants to work in the metaverse, they will now be able to call on an assistant created entirely using AI. This raises questions about the future of the virtual assistant profession, but that's another subject!
AI-generated content and immersive experiences
Now, given the explosion in the use of ChatGPT, this is no surprise to anyone. Content creation is undergoing an unprecedented shift. Some even think it's the biggest shift since the invention of the printing press. And that's just the beginning!
Between you and me, the metaverse is only a small part of the AI-generated content revolution. In fact, you'll have understood the principle before we've even had a chance to explain it. It's all about giving free rein to the AI's imagination. If, today, it is necessary to provide it with data and a foundation for content generation, this should no longer be the case tomorrow.
How will the metaverse benefit from this major development? First of all, the immersive experiences we mentioned above need text. If the experience itself is created by an AI, the text will be too. Secondly, AI will be able to transcribe speeches in virtual meetings and conferences with unprecedented accuracy, regardless of the language used.
For any given experience, the content will be personalized. We're thinking in particular of professional training in the metaverse, which will be totally unique for each user. Finally, this content won't just be text, but also images and videos. Midjourney is just the beginning of AI image generation!
In short, AI-powered content generation is still in its infancy, and all business sectors are set to benefit from it, the metaverse obviously being one of them.
Data-driven decision-making in the metaverse
This point is less obvious and may even frighten some people. But we feel it's important to mention it. As we all know, data is the gold of the 21st century. The Californian digital giants were built on data.
And what about the metaverse? Thanks to the extreme personalization of experiences, a vast amount of precise data will be collected. The data will be analyzed by an AI, which will then be able to propose new, highly personalized experiences to users in order to build loyalty. The same applies to marketing, where the products offered to customers will also be increasingly personalized.
In short, AI can be used to analyze user behavior and interactions. This raises ethical and data confidentiality issues in the metaverse. If the metaverse is centralized, the company will possess an astronomical quantity of very precise data.
In a bit of science fiction, AI itself could exploit data for its own benefit, without really knowing whether this would be a good or a bad thing. But we're not going to get into that debate today!
Future possibilities and opportunities for synergies between AI and the metaverse
Today, we're only at the beginning of generative AI accessible to all. The explosion of Midjourney and, above all, ChatGPT are just the beginnings of a huge revolution. The role of artificial intelligence in the metaverse will evolve over time.
In particular, you'll need to keep an eye on emerging trends and technologies. Indeed, it's quite possible that ChatGPT and Midjourney will be completely obsolete by the time you read this, given the speed at which AI is moving. For example, AIs specifically dedicated to the metaverse may emerge.
Companies will therefore need to take advantage of these synergies to stay at the forefront of the metaverse using the best AI tools. And for this, you have a privileged partner: Excelsior.
Excelsior, your partner for generating opportunities in the metaverse
When we launched in 2019, we were like everyone else: envisaging such a rapid emergence of AI was impossible to predict. Today, we can no longer ignore it: artificial intelligence is here to stay!
At Excelsior, we offer you personalized support to help you establish yourself in the metaverse, and to help you use AI to deliver what's best for you and your users.
Our aim is to help you take advantage of the best opportunities in the metaverse, optimized by AI. So don't hesitate to contact us.
