According to a recent Bloomberg report, the metaverse is an 800 billion dollar market. Others argue about what the metaverse really is, but with so much money and so much curiosity around it, everyone has something to say.
AI will undoubtedly play a very important role in the metaverse, especially when we communicate with others. While we will be more connected than ever, AI untethered to any government, standard, or code of ethics can have diabolical implications. What former Google CEO Eric Schmidt recently asked, "Who gets to set the rules?"
Understand the implications of AI
Because AI algorithms are created by people with biases, they can be created to follow the thought patterns and principles of their creators, which can then be multiplied. We have seen how AI can create gender bias for example, or how AI can give greater credit card limits for men than for women or that true ethnicities are more prone to unfair bias. To create a more equitable and flourishing metaverse, it is necessary to address the dark patterns of AI that can create and perpetuate bias. But who decides? And how can humans avoid those biases?
The solution to mitigate this "AI without control" is to develop ethical standards in all organizations. From our point of view, the dark patterns of AI can be invasive. Most AI is developed without ethical oversight, and this should not happen in the metaverse.
Using AI to translate messages in the metaverse
As any learner of a language that allows you to connect with people all over the world, the prospect of everyone becoming super polyglot, able to speak multiple languages, is exciting, but it's even more interesting to understand how that will work with AI.
In the metaverse, many users are likely to communicate in their own languages, with possible AI-based language translators. AI-powered language technology can perpetuate bias if we're not careful. We need to make sure that the artificial intelligence of language is also trained to be ethical.
Imagine that Joe's avatar wants to talk to Miguel's avatar, but Joe and Miguel don't speak the same language. How does AI translate your messages? Directly? Or do we translate for the person's intent rather than literally, so that the person receiving the message can understand?
Blurring the lines between humans and machines
The "humans" who are present in the metaverse will be key.
Businesses can use language technology to quickly translate interactions into different languages, which can help build online community, trust, and inclusion.
However, if we are not careful with the words we choose, technology can also create prejudice or allow impolite behavior. How is that? Have you ever heard a 3 year old talk to Alexa? Not exactly a positive experience. When people know they are interacting with technology and not real humans, they don't feel the need to be polite. Instead, customers are rude to chatbots, Amazon Alexa, and automated phone lines, among others. In an ideal world, AI for language will capture the nuance and empathy needed to accurately represent a human, so that the metaverse becomes a place where humans and technology flourish together.
Impersonal AI in the metaverse could also be negative. The right language can create real, emotional connection and understanding. With AI-powered language operations, the right message can help humanize a brand. Technology that can help brands communicate in many languages instantly will be critical. We believe that customer trust is built on the native language. But how can a virtual society without borders have a native language? And how can that environment build trust?
The metaverse has great potential for companies to gain more exposure in a virtual world. People are already spending a lot of money on virtual fashion, and this trend will continue. Brands need to find ways to create online experiences that feel authentic or even better than in-person interaction. That is a very high bar to overcome and intelligent linguistic communication will be part of that challenge.
The final aspect of the metaverse is unknown. However, no one wants to be the brand remembered for how their AI disproportionately affected one group of people over another or how their AI dehumanized their product. The will of the AI is to improve more and more in the prediction by patterns. However, if left unchecked, it could have serious implications for how we "live" in the metaverse. That is why an ethics of responsible or ethical AI is necessary.
When AI powers brands' language, chatbots, or virtual realities, there are numerous opportunities to lose customer trust or feelings of humanity. It is up to AI researchers and experts to work together with brands to find solutions with responsible AI frameworks so that we can "live" in the metaverse peacefully.
