AI applications, including smart assistants like Alexa, self-driving cars, conversational bots, robo-advisors, and email spam filters, have now extended into the Metaverse. This raises an important question in the tech world: how is AI shaping the Metaverse? With a VR headset, users can immerse themselves in this digital world, where avatars interact with one another and participate in activities like gaming and shopping.
Extended Reality (XR) has brought about an unprecedented virtual world, while blockchain technology introduces decentralisation, promoting transparency and eliminating irreversible transactions. Non-fungible tokens (NFTs), essential components of the Metaverse, are products of blockchain technology. Within the Metaverse, objects such as land, vehicles, and gifts are essentially NFTs, making them crucial to the system’s functionality. Removing NFTs could cause the Metaverse to collapse.
AI significantly enhances the Metaverse by overcoming challenges like poor interactive quality and enabling the creation of new products, such as live virtual conferencing. It complements the Metaverse’s intuitive interface and predictive capabilities, making avatar interactions smoother, games more dynamic, and enterprises more successful.
Previously, VR and AR technologies faced limitations, such as restricted visibility and limited graphics. As a result, activities in the Metaverse were not as engaging as those in the real world or even regular online games. Additionally, the early stages of the Metaverse lacked the technical sophistication and use cases necessary to sustain its economy.
However, advancements in VR, AR, and the integration of AI into the Metaverse have opened up new use cases and monetisation opportunities. Like other emerging technologies, the Metaverse initially faced acceptance challenges. However, projects such as Decentraland (MANA), The Sandbox (SAND), and MeetKai Metaverse are starting to change this.
Decentraland allows participants to buy and sell virtual properties while exploring exciting games. The Sandbox provides a gaming ecosystem where users can create, share, and monetise their game assets. MeetKai integrates AI to create a more realistic Metaverse than ever before.
The advanced integration of XR and AI technologies has resulted in a more engaging virtual world, increasing user engagement and generating revenue for everyone involved in the ecosystem. Voice Assistant AI, for instance, has started to play a key role in the Metaverse, supporting use cases such as lifestyle support and personalised recommendations. Rather than visiting a travel agency or dealing with customer service, users can now jump into the Metaverse and tour destinations with the help of AI-powered bots.
Natural language processing within the Metaverse allows for more personalised experiences compared to the real world. Voice AI can interpret avatar requests in a more human-like and natural manner, taking individual preferences into account. These language technologies are increasingly contextual and personalised, making the Metaverse interface smarter and more intuitive.
For example, MeetKai’s first AI concierge, Kai, offers voice assistance as effortlessly as chatting with a friend. If you ask Kai for a 'steak' recipe by saying, 'Hey Kai, can you find a good recipe?' you’ll receive the best beef steak recipe in the world within seconds.
