The Impact of the Metaverse on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals: A Foundation Metaverse Europe’s Perspective Abstract: This paper examines how the Metaverse, a complex virtual world interconnected with reality, can contribute to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) within the European context. We explore two key facets of the Metaverse: Consumer Metaverse and Industrial Metaverse, and their potential […]
When Marc chose the term Metaverse to proclaim the next stage of an even more immersive Internet, he was also – willingly and consciously or not – putting a warning into the world about the end of democracy: The word “metaverse” was first popularized in the 1991 science fiction novel Snow Crash by Neal Stephanson. The novel is set in […]
Few areas have undergone such rapid development in recent years as the world of Web3, crypto and digital ownership. The news really came thick and fast, and even industry experts had difficulty keeping up with the developments. After public interest waned at the end of last year and the world of Web3 was overshadowed not least by events such as […]
Positive Narratives for a democratic Metaverse Narratives are established stories and tales that have meaning for a cultural group because they transmit certain emotions and values. Narratives shape our thoughts and actions. Science fiction conveys narratives that connect the present with possible futures. The genre does not provide an instruction manual for the future, but stories that take place in […]
The core competence of a Digital Sovereignty There is a moral obligation to use artificial intelligence. If these technologies make our daily lives easier, reduce suffering and increase happiness, and help us facilitate and improve institutional missions in the church, schools, government and wherever else, then we need to use them. Their use requires competence. There is no alternative to […]
The Metaverse and Conversational AI as a Threat Vector for Targeted Influence Abstract Over the last 18 months, two human-computer interaction (HCI) technologies have rapidly come to mainstream markets, funded by massive investments from major corporations. The first area of advancement has been virtual and augmented worlds, now commonly called “The Metaverse.” The second area of advancement has been the […]
Altered states of consciousness in technological change to the coming metaverse A main problem for a contemporary culture of awareness is the new “attention extraction economy”. Powered by self-learning AI and advanced, self-improving algorithms, it extracts attention from human brains and turns it into money. Today, information and entertainment are available almost everywhere for free. Attention, on the other hand, […]
What is Web3? If one considers the metaverse as a virtual communication space that maps a new or existing reality, then the web3 can be understood as a part of its infrastructure. However, the web3 is not simply the same as the metaverse. Both the web3 and different metaverse can function independently. By connecting to the blockchain and the token […]
This study was prepared by our Foundation Metaverse Europe in collaboration with Stiftung Zukunft. This exploratory study explores challenges and opportunities for democracy in the metaverse and presents areas for deeper work. Accordingly, democracy could be threatened in the future by the implementation of the vision of a centralized, private-sector metaverse in the three areas of fundamental rights, the public […]
On 29 May, together with the Metaverse Europe Foundation, we hosted a ground-breaking event at the CUPRA City Garage Berlin, highlighting the urgent need to act on security while keeping European sovereignty in mind. The evening began with a welcome from Christian Rücker, CEO of ARDOR SE, and Moritz Baumann, Manager of the CUPRA City Garage Berlin. Maren Courage, Director […]
Axel Voss, Member of the European Parliament and EPP coordinator of the legal affairs committee (JURI). Focus on digital policy on “What do you think is currently the most urgent task in the areas of digital sovereignty?” In order to bring the relevant ethical issues that interest us as a foundation to a wider audience, we have captured valuable views […]
On 17 April 2024, we met as part of the Foundation Metaverse Europe at (and with) Deutsche Telekom in Berlin for the kick-off “Value Compass Metaverse Education”. The expert group met for four intensive hours. After we had defined the status quo, we had a stimulating discussion that ultimately led to the definition of a clear goal and the development […]
This month’s big news was the publishing of two reports by the World Economic Forum. Metaverse Identity: Defining the Self in a Blended Realityand Navigating the Industrial Metaverse: A Blueprint for Future Innovations. In the EU, the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre published its second report on Shaping the Next Generation of Virtual Worlds. It summarises a conference that shedded […]
A major milestone has been reached: Our 1st Metaverse Europe Foundation Symposium in Brussels began in the MeetDistrict with a motivating keynote speech by Axel Voss, MEP and spokesperson of the Legal Affairs Committee, and two powerful impulses from Rehana Schwinninger-Ladak, Head of Unit DG Connect, European Commission and Emmie Hine, University of Bologna (Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di […]
It has been a busy start to 2024 for metaverse policy enthusiasts. In the European Parliament, MEPs approved reports from two Committees. The first report, by the Internal Market & Consumer Protection Committee, focused on interoperability, connectivity infrastructure, and accessibility and introduced the notion of “avatar rights.” The second report, by the Legal Affairs Committee, focused on international, civil, and […]