Fuji Ren: Will the Metaverse Become the Next Phase of the Internet?
As of last year, notions of the Metaverse, that had its birth in science fiction, started to take the whole world by storm. Roblox, the first metaverse stock was officially listed on the New York Stock Exchange in March last year, and its market value exceeded $38 billion in the first day. In October, Facebook announced it would change its name into Meta, which pushed the term “Metaverse” to a climax.
Tech giants have gotten in on the game too. Apple is developing AR headsets; Baidu has released a Metaverse product called Xi Rong and ByteDance has also acquired Chinese VR equipment maker Pico.
It is generally believed that the term metaverse has its origins in the science fiction novel Snow Crash, written in 1992, which depicts a vast virtual world where people use digital avatars to control the world and compete with each other. Why is the metaverse, a concept born out of science fiction, now popular all over the world? Can it really go from mere science fiction to reality? Is the Metaverse the future or just a hoax?
Fuji Ren, honorary vice chairman of the Chinese Society of Artificial Intelligence and academician of the Japanese Academy of Engineering, says in a recent interview with China News Agency’s East Meets West column that, most researchers believe that it will take at least 10 to 15 years for the world to develop the metaverse, because the technical and theoretical foundations of the metaverse are still waiting for a huge break-through:
“So we define it as the ‘future that has come’, however, it has not come yet.” He called on researchers to continuously develop, and make up for the shortcomings of the metaverse’s technical theories, to grant the possibility of the metaverse one day coming true.
Fuji Ren is an Academic at the Japanese Academy of Engineering, Doctor of Engineering of Hokkaido University, Distinguished Chair Professor of the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chief Scientist of the Institute of Artificial Intelligence, Chief Scientist of Shenzhen Institutes for Advanced Study, Dean of International Advanced Informatization Research, and Honorary Professor of Tokushima University. He has successively served as a CSK researcher in Japan, Visiting Professor at New Mexico State University, visiting professor at Florida International University, Visiting Professor at Harvard University, Dean of the Department of Intelligent Engineering, Dean of graduate students, and Director of the information decision-making department at Tokushima University in Japan.
“THE FUTURE THAT HAS COME”
In your opinion, what is the metaverse? Is it an opportunity or just a bubble waiting to burst?
In fact, there is no unified definition of the Metaverse. In general terms, the Metaverse is an Internet application and social sphere that integrates a variety of new technologies to create a fusion of reality. It provides an immersive experience based on extended reality technology, generates a mirror image of the real world based on digital twin technology, builds an economic system based on blockchain technology, and closely integrates the virtual world and the real world in a single economic system, social system, and system of identification, which allows every user to generate content production and edit the “world”.
From a research perspective, we all believe that it will take at least another 10 to 15 years to develop the metaverse, because the technological and theoretical foundations of the metaverse still need a break-through before it can reach maturity. So we (researchers) define it as “the future that has come” - it hasn’t come yet, but will come.
Judging from current technology and theory, the metaverse could very easily become a bubble. Although the stocks of some companies have risen, some companies have changed their names, and many companies have invested in the space, but the foundations of the Metaverse are not solid yet, it is still just a concept. If technology and theory fail to catch up, it will indeed just be a bubble, which could burst in less than 5 years.
But we also hope that researchers and scientists take the metaverse seriously, because the current wave of activity cannot be stopped. If researchers can enhance development and make up for the shortcomings in technical theory, the bubble may be turned into a reality. Now that market resources related to the Metaverse are abundant, and there are a lot of funds, development can be accelerated.
On September 1, 2022 the World Artificial Intelligence Conference kicked off in Shanghai. With the theme of “Intelligent Connected World, Unbounded Origin”, this conference will seize the opportunity the “Metaverse” brings and focus on displaying the achievements of global artificial intelligence development. The picture shows the popular Metaverse exhibition area. Credit: Yanjun Tang
What is the attitude of the major countries in the world toward the Metaverse? Compared with major countries in the world, what are the key features and advantages of China in developing the metaverse?
Until last year, most countries and scientific research institutions were on the sidelines of the metaverse. But since last year, the metaverse has grown fiercely, and some countries have begun to introduce plans to guide the industry. China is also reckoning with the world, as the metaverse is an important part of the digital economy.
For example, the action plan (2022-2025) for cultivating a new track for the Metaverse was announced by Shanghai city in July of this year. It proposed that by 2025, the scale of Metaverse related industries will reach 350 billion CNY. Beijing, Wuhan, Hefei, Xiamen, Guangzhou, Hangzhou and other cities have also made plans for the Metaverse.
Countries and regions such as South Korea, Japan, the United States, and Europe have also embraced the Metaverse. For example, the South Korean government plans to become the fifth largest metaverse market in the world by 2026. After the concept of the Metaverse got more traction, Japan also proposed to attach importance to cultivating talents in the space.
China’s biggest advantage lies in its abundance of AI-driven big data resources. In the future metaverse and digital society, big data will be very important. China is likely to extract algorithms to realize the metaverse with its huge amount of stored data, according to artificial intelligence and deep learning methods.
Moreover, in recent years, China has made rapid progress in computing power and is expected to become the world’s leader in the field. With the advantages of data and algorithms, China is very likely to take the lead in developing original technologies in the metaverse, so as to realize a transformational breakthrough.
On September 3, 2022, the first China Jiangning Metaverse Industry Development Summit Forum was held in Nanjing. At the event, the beauty-robot brought by a company not only has a lifelike appearance, but has also been able to realize human-computer interaction, attracting the attention of the attendees. Credit: Bo Yang
“VIRTUALITY AND REALITY”
Although this technology is still immature, there are already a number of games integrating concepts of the metaverse. Some people worry that people will become more and more addicted to the virtual experience brought by the metaverse, creating the phenomenon of “a vat for brains”. What do you think?
Games are one of the entry points to the metaverse, but the metaverse is not just a game. Thinking of the Metaverse as a super-large 3D virtual game is one-sided.
The Metaverse is currently a big trend. We call on scientists, researchers, and governments to guide users correctly. It must be noted that the Metaverse and real life are in a subordinate relationship, and the virtual world serves real life, making real life more functional and efficient, rather than replacing reality with virtual reality. We recently proposed the concept of a transcendent world model, which is aimed at solving the problem of the metaverse connecting with the real world, but of course, this will take time.
On September 1, the telecommunications, computer and information service exhibition hall of the Shougang Park exhibition area of the Beijing 2022 Service Trade Fair, where the audience experienced the Metaverse Game Hall. Credit: Jianpo Du.
Will the Metaverse become our new way of life in the future?
I think it will. The true metaverse of the future is not only immersive, but also allows virtual scenes to become real in reality. The key lies in the super-world model. Let me tell a story: Uncle Yuan, 75 years old, is immersed in the virtual scene of a game. While talking to his grandson and granddaughter online, he suddenly suffers a heart attack. The Metaverse can simulate a doctor, but not in real life. As for the 75-year-old Chao Ge in the future “transcendent world model”, when the same emergency occurs, a physical robot behind him will come out with the much-needed medicine save the elderly person from danger.
The same goes with this: if someone sees a tempting Peking duck in the Metaverse of the future’s transcendent world model, the 3D printer will automatically analyze the ingredients of the roast duck and print it out for them to taste the dish in the real life.
In the future, combining virtual and real worlds in the transcendent world model, and bringing real convenience to business, industry and societyis what should be further explored. By then, the way we live, produce, and communicate will all change.
On September 1, 2022, the interactive virtual fashion experience event FabriX was held in Hong Kong. This is a multi-dimensional virtual fashion pilot project that combines creation, production and sales in the metaverse. The image is a virtual fashion show. Credit: Zhihua Li.
NEXT GENERATION OF THE INTERNET?
Will the future metaverse be interconnected?
The final shape of the metaverse will very likely connect all parties, but there are still have several problems to solve. The first relates to privacy. The Metaverse is a virtual space, and protecting privacy is the biggest security risk. Personal privacy must be protected systematically, institutionally, and technically. Second is regional and country-specific restrictions. After these restrictions are loosened, the interconnectedness of the Metaverse is technically possible, just like the Internet today.
Will the Metaverse be the next phase of the Internet?
The Internet has changed the trajectory human beings are on and connected people’s lives, but the metaverse lacks this ability. So, I personally think calling the Metaverse the next phase of the Internet is an exaggeration. It is not as important as the Internet today. The current metaverse has not yet made any theoretical breakthroughs, so the current so-called metaverse will not and cannot become the next phase of the Internet.
The Internet in the future may be the Internet of Intelligence, and everything in the world - every flower, every tree, and every machine, will have a base point and will be connected by this “big network”. The metaverse is only one form of it, and it cannot replace the Internet of Intelligence.
Of course, the Metaverse can promote the development and evolution of the current Internet and information technology, and it is expected to truly connect the virtual and real spaces through the transcendent world model. I can't estimate when, but it will likely be in roughly 20 years or perhaps 50 years.
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