The proliferation of generative AI (GenAI) throughout diverse domains underlines the powerful appeal of this technology. Its application in metaverse research is already wide-ranging, with exploratory applications in the generation of text, code, planning, geometry and imagery. From ideation to creation, GenAI promises to speed up development through tools for design, graphics, animation and textures, NPCs and dialogue. Alongside this rapid rise, GenAI has also raised questions about ethics and legal concerns, as well as debates around hype and overreach.
GenAI is transforming various fields that have strong metaverse use cases. Education applications can use tools like GPT and AI image generators to support writing, create personalized learning experiences, and foster creativity by providing rapid responses and customized feedback. The gaming industry has the potential to benefit from GenAI's ability to create dynamic storytelling and intricate game environments, enhance player immersion and aid replayability. Marketing and customer service in the Metaverse can benefit from GenAI in content generation and natural conversation.
The use of generative models has a long history in control algorithms for robotics. More recently, this space has evolved to encompass deep learning and GenAI for robot control, with crossover into metaverse applications for both low and high-level control of virtual agents. At a high level, GPTs allow users to interact with agents through natural language. At the low level, GenAI can use motion data to produce more natural motion sequences for autonomous characters.
Co-creative design assistants (mix-initiative) that aid human designers in the creation, augmentation, and generation of metaverse content are becoming more common and more powerful. The addition of GenAI to these tools promises to improve these tools immensely due to their ability to reason about the output and provide iterative refinement, including autogeneration of code for content generation. Apart from design assistance, GenAI can help provide innovative and immersive applications. It can aid in the creation of real-time personalised assets from within metaverse applications, assist with animation and generate more cohesive content.
Generative AI also poses significant legal and ethical challenges. Legally, there are issues with the ownership of training datasets, often scraped without consent, and AI-generated content, raising copyright and intellectual property concerns. These issues are further complicated in the dynamic and interactive metaverse environment. Ethically, using generative AI in real-time systems within the metaverse presents challenges in controlling harmful, offensive, or misleading content. AI can rapidly generate vast amounts of content, leading to the spread of misinformation, deepfakes, and distressing material. Additionally, AI-created realistic NPCs and environments can manipulate and influence user behavior, raising concerns about autonomy and consent.
This Research Topic focuses on all aspects of the use of generative AI in the metaverse. We welcome submissions of original research and reviews on (but not limited to) generative AI applied to the following topics:
- Procedural content generation
- Agent behaviours and interaction
- Motion control and planning
- Research and applications of AI generated images, and video
- Applications and techniques for generating 3D models
- Exploration of AI-generated music
- Generative AI applications in creating and editing videos, deepfake etc.
- Text generation for conversational agents and digital assistants
- Integration with interactive storytelling and game narratives
- Applications in multiplayer and social VR experiences
- Hurdles to real-time response
- Ethical and legal considerations and challenges
Keywords:
generative AI, large language model, GPT, virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality, user experience, embodied virtual assistants, procedural content generation, games, ethical implications of VR
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
The proliferation of generative AI (GenAI) throughout diverse domains underlines the powerful appeal of this technology. Its application in metaverse research is already wide-ranging, with exploratory applications in the generation of text, code, planning, geometry and imagery. From ideation to creation, GenAI promises to speed up development through tools for design, graphics, animation and textures, NPCs and dialogue. Alongside this rapid rise, GenAI has also raised questions about ethics and legal concerns, as well as debates around hype and overreach.
GenAI is transforming various fields that have strong metaverse use cases. Education applications can use tools like GPT and AI image generators to support writing, create personalized learning experiences, and foster creativity by providing rapid responses and customized feedback. The gaming industry has the potential to benefit from GenAI's ability to create dynamic storytelling and intricate game environments, enhance player immersion and aid replayability. Marketing and customer service in the Metaverse can benefit from GenAI in content generation and natural conversation.
The use of generative models has a long history in control algorithms for robotics. More recently, this space has evolved to encompass deep learning and GenAI for robot control, with crossover into metaverse applications for both low and high-level control of virtual agents. At a high level, GPTs allow users to interact with agents through natural language. At the low level, GenAI can use motion data to produce more natural motion sequences for autonomous characters.
Co-creative design assistants (mix-initiative) that aid human designers in the creation, augmentation, and generation of metaverse content are becoming more common and more powerful. The addition of GenAI to these tools promises to improve these tools immensely due to their ability to reason about the output and provide iterative refinement, including autogeneration of code for content generation. Apart from design assistance, GenAI can help provide innovative and immersive applications. It can aid in the creation of real-time personalised assets from within metaverse applications, assist with animation and generate more cohesive content.
Generative AI also poses significant legal and ethical challenges. Legally, there are issues with the ownership of training datasets, often scraped without consent, and AI-generated content, raising copyright and intellectual property concerns. These issues are further complicated in the dynamic and interactive metaverse environment. Ethically, using generative AI in real-time systems within the metaverse presents challenges in controlling harmful, offensive, or misleading content. AI can rapidly generate vast amounts of content, leading to the spread of misinformation, deepfakes, and distressing material. Additionally, AI-created realistic NPCs and environments can manipulate and influence user behavior, raising concerns about autonomy and consent.
This Research Topic focuses on all aspects of the use of generative AI in the metaverse. We welcome submissions of original research and reviews on (but not limited to) generative AI applied to the following topics:
- Procedural content generation
- Agent behaviours and interaction
- Motion control and planning
- Research and applications of AI generated images, and video
- Applications and techniques for generating 3D models
- Exploration of AI-generated music
- Generative AI applications in creating and editing videos, deepfake etc.
- Text generation for conversational agents and digital assistants
- Integration with interactive storytelling and game narratives
- Applications in multiplayer and social VR experiences
- Hurdles to real-time response
- Ethical and legal considerations and challenges
Keywords:
generative AI, large language model, GPT, virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality, user experience, embodied virtual assistants, procedural content generation, games, ethical implications of VR
Important Note:
All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.