metaverse

Meta introduces tools to enhance the Metaverse

Meta has announced the release of a new AI model, Meta Motivo, designed to enhance the realism of human-like digital agents in the Metaverse. This innovation promises more lifelike movements for avatars, addressing longstanding issues with digital body control. The company believes these advancements will revolutionise character animation and create immersive experiences with highly interactive non-playable characters (NPCs).

Meta’s focus on AI and Metaverse technologies has led to record-breaking investment forecasts for 2024, with capital expenditures projected to reach up to $40 billion. The company has also embraced an open-source approach by making its AI models available for free to developers, fostering innovation across its platforms.

In addition to Meta Motivo, the company introduced the Large Concept Model (LCM), an AI system designed to reimagine language modelling by focusing on high-level concepts rather than predicting text tokens. This system processes entire sentences in multilingual and multimodal contexts, aiming to enhance reasoning capabilities. Meta also unveiled Video Seal, a tool that embeds invisible, traceable watermarks into videos, signalling its commitment to both innovation and security in digital content creation.

These releases reflect Meta’s vision of advancing AI to shape the future of digital interaction and the Metaverse, aiming to establish itself as a leader in cutting-edge virtual and augmented reality technologies.

EU and UK universities begin metaverse classes

Universities across the EU and UK are set to introduce metaverse-based courses, where students can attend classes in digital replicas of their campuses. Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, announced the launch of Europe’s first ‘metaversities,’ immersive digital twins of real university campuses. With the help of Meta’s VR partner VictoryXR, students can explore campus grounds, work on projects, and participate in simulations from their VR headsets or PCs, offering a more interactive experience than traditional video calls.

Several institutions are embracing the metaverse: the UK’s University of Leeds started metaverse courses in theater this fall, while Spain’s University of the Basque Country will introduce virtual physiotherapy and anatomy classes by February 2025. In Germany, schools in Hannover will launch immersive classes by the start of the 2025 school year. VictoryXR, which has collaborated with over 130 campuses worldwide, sees these “digital twin” campuses as ideal for field trips, group experiments, and real-time assignments.

Meta has provided VR headsets to educators at numerous universities in the US and UK, including Imperial College London, to encourage innovative teaching in fields such as science and language arts. According to Meta, these metaversities mark a ‘significant leap forward’ in education, creating interactive and engaging learning environments.

Meta’s new strategy: AI-powered gaming experiences

Meta is set to integrate more generative AI technology into its virtual, augmented, and mixed-reality games, aiming to boost its struggling metaverse strategy. According to a recent job listing, the company plans to create new gaming experiences that change with each playthrough and follow unpredictable paths. The initiative will initially focus on Horizon, Meta’s suite of metaverse games and applications, but could extend to other platforms like smartphones and PCs.

These developments are part of Meta’s broader effort to enhance its metaverse offerings and address the financial challenges faced by Reality Labs, the division responsible for its metaverse projects. Despite selling millions of Quest headsets, Meta has struggled to attract users to its Horizon platform and mitigate substantial operating losses. Recently, the company began allowing third-party manufacturers to license Quest software features and increased investment in metaverse gaming, spurred by CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s growing interest in the field.

Meta’s interest in generative AI is not new. In 2022, Zuckerberg demonstrated a prototype called Builder Bot, which allows users to create virtual worlds with simple prompts. Additionally, Meta’s CTO, Andrew Bosworth, has highlighted the potential of generative AI tools to democratise content creation within the metaverse, likening their impact to that of Instagram on personal content creation.

Generative AI is already making waves in game development, with companies like Disney-backed Inworld using the technology to enhance game dialogues and narratives. While some game creators are concerned about the impact on their jobs, Meta is committed to significant investments in generative AI, even though CEO Zuckerberg cautioned that it might take years for these investments to become profitable.

Workplace app discontinued as Meta invests in AI and metaverse

Meta Platforms, the parent company of Facebook, announced that it will discontinue its Workplace app, a platform geared towards work-related communications. The social media platform made this decision as it shifted its focus towards developing AI and metaverse technologies. The Workplace app will be phased out for customers starting in June 2026, although Meta will continue to utilise it internally as a messaging board until August 2025, according to a statement from the company.

A spokesperson for Meta stated that they are discontinuing Workplace to focus on building AI and metaverse technologies that they believe will fundamentally reshape the way they work. Over the next two years, Workplace customers will have the option to transition to Zoom’s Workvivo product, which Meta has designated as its preferred migration partner. Workplace was initially launched in 2016 to cater to businesses, offering features such as multi-company groups and shared spaces to facilitate collaboration among employees from different organizations.

Why does it matter?

The discontinuation of Workplace aligns with Meta’s strategic emphasis on advancing AI and metaverse technologies, which it views as integral to the future of digital communication. The strategic change of business direction has raised concerns about escalating costs that could potentially impact the company’s growth trajectory. Despite the discontinuation of Workplace, Meta has assured customers that billing and payment arrangements will remain unchanged until August of this year. Currently, Workplace offers a core plan priced at $4 per user per month, with additional add-ons available starting from $2 per user per month, with monthly bills calculated based on the number of billable users unless a fixed plan is in place.

China aims to establish advanced metaverse industrial cluster

China has unveiled a national plan to develop its own metaverse by 2025, with the goal of creating three to five globally influential metaverse companies. This plan was published by five Chinese ministries led by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology in a policy document.

The policy blueprint covering the time period of 2023 to 2025 highlights the application of metaverse technology in various industries, such as home appliances, automotive, and aerospace.

The development of artificial intelligence, blockchain, and virtual reality technologies will be key to achieving the metaverse vision and the Chinese government aims to establish three to five industrial clusters around these emerging technologies. The document also suggests that manufacturing industries, including steel and textiles, can adopt related technologies to optimize scheduling, material calculation, and other parts of the production process.

Previously, some local authorities in China like Henan and Shanghai province have also issued their own policies to promote metaverse development, emphasizing on how it can support the economy and traditional industries.

The EU Commission presents EU strategy to lead on Web 4.0 and virtual worlds

The European Commission has adopted a new strategy for Web 4.0 and virtual worlds. The EU strategy aims to steer the next technological transition and ensure an open, secure, trustworthy, fair, and inclusive digital environment for EU citizens, businesses, and public administrations.

The strategy aims to empower people and reinforce skills, support a European Web 4.0 industrial ecosystem, promote virtual public services, and shape global standards for open and interoperable virtual worlds. The Commission believes a Web 4.0 will be a next generation of the Internet infrastructure that will allow an integration between digital and real objects and environments, and enhanced interactions between humans and machines.

The strategy is based on consultations with citizens, academia, and businesses and builds on the work of the European Commission on virtual worlds.

UAE aiming to lead the way in Metaverse innovation with digital smell technology

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is embracing the potential of the metaverse and attracting innovative startups in the field. One such startup is Auralink, co-founded by 21-year-old Italian inventor Alistair Pernigo. Auralink specialises in advanced technologies that detect, analyse, and reproduce smells. Pernigo has created a device called Meta-nose, which can identify thousands of smells with over 95% accuracy by detecting gaseous particles and converting them into digital data.

The UAE has been proactive in supporting metaverse-related initiatives. It developed the Dubai Metaverse Strategy in 2022, aiming to attract 1,000 companies, create 40,000 virtual jobs, and add $4 billion to Dubai’s GDP by 2030. The establishment of Dubai’s Virtual Assets and Regulatory Agency and the creation of bespoke rules and incentives for working in the Metaverse have facilitated the growth of the industry.

While the Metaverse and immersive technologies are still in the early stages of adoption, the UAE’s government enterprises are driving the exploration of these technologies. Various government entities, including the Economy Ministry, have established departments dedicated to the Metaverse. The Ajman police force, for example, has created a Metaverse experience that enables virtual conversations and interactions with virtual avatars of officials.

Meta ramps up AI focus as it juggles Metaverse ambitions and competition

Meta is aiming to establish itself as a significant player in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) as it faces competition from other tech giants. Meta recently launched the AI Sandbox, which allows marketers to use AI to create more options for ads, and announced Meta Lattice, an AI-driven model to improve ad performance on its networks.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg has emphasised the importance of AI for Meta’s revenue growth and its role in creating dynamic and accessible virtual reality experiences in the Metaverse. However, this shift has led to confusion among employees and investors regarding the company’s core focus.

Compared to its competitors, Meta’s AI offerings have been viewed as more modest. While Microsoft, Google, and startups have made strides in developing innovative AI technologies like chatbots, Meta has faced setbacks with its own projects, including the Galatica language model and BlenderBot 3 chatbot, which generated negative publicity due to inaccurate and hateful output. Nevertheless, the company remains committed to both AI and the metaverse, according to Zuckerberg, as it seeks to secure its financial performance and employee morale.

The metaverse might add up to a 2,5 percent of the US GDP in the next decade

The metaverse, a virtual world where people can interact with each other in a fully immersive way, could become a massive economic force, according to a commissioned study by Meta (former Facebook). The study estimates that by 2035, the metaverse could contribute to 2,4% of the US economy (around $750 billion) creating new jobs and generating trillions of dollars in revenue.

The metaverse could transform various industries, including entertainment, education, and retail, offering new ways for businesses to reach customers and creating new job opportunities for creators, developers, and engineers. It could also change the way people work, socialise, and consume content, creating a new era of virtual experiences.

However, the report also acknowledges the potential risks of the metaverse, such as privacy concerns, security risks, and the possibility of widening social inequalities. It calls for a collaborative effort between industry, government, and civil society to ensure that the metaverse is developed in a responsible and inclusive way. Overall, the study suggests that the metaverse has the potential to become a significant economic force in the near future, but it will require careful consideration and collaboration to ensure that it benefits everyone.

The EU’s antitrust chief wants to ensure healthy competition exists within metaverses 


The European Union’s antitrust chief, Margrethe Vestager, has announced that the metaverse will be the next digital market to face regulatory scrutiny.

Vestager has raised concerns about the possibility of Meta’s dominance, with Google and Microsoft also active in generative artificial intelligence. At a conference organised by Keystone Strategy, Vestager questioned what healthy competition would look like in the metaverse and whether competing digital realities and language AI models would change the equation. Vestager emphasised that regulatory scrutiny of digital markets has been increasing worldwide in the past three years, and all jurisdictions are moving forward in some form or another. While antitrust enforcers are moving at different speeds, Vestager believes this can benefit mutual learning and toolkit refinement.