The MetaverseUA Chair Newsletter #9 - April 2024

Hey there, Metaversian friends!

Welcome to a new issue of the MetaverseUA Chair newsletter. April comes full of novelties in regarding the Metaverse. Buckle up! Let´s go to it.

Renault tightens the screws in the Metaverse

Although this is not a theme party, I do hope you tightened your seatbelts. We are taking you for a car ride. Renault Group has integrated fully the Metaverse into their industrial automovile production line.

Renault´s factories have been integrating Virtual worlds into their manufacturing since 2022. The French corporate group launched its Renault Group’s industrial Metaverse in November 2022. Their intention was to benefit from the multiple advantages that the digital integration posed to their car manufacturing. By developing their factories into the Metaverse, they meant to create digital replicas of all their factories. But not only the infrastructure and warehouses. Also all the machinery. From the tiniest screwdriver to the most sophisticated robot of their production line. This integration allowed them to generate a digital space in which different software could interact with each other, and obsolescence could be controlled even for the oldest hardware. They overcame challenges in a seamless way that no other digital tool could have provided. Thanks to the Metaverse!

Currently, 100% of their production lines, including 8,500 pieces of equipment, have been connected to collect more than 1 billion data every day. The CEO of the group announced earlier this year the full integration of their factories into a unified Digital world. The corporation has spotted great financial opportunities: by 2025, they estimate that Metaverse will generate savings of €320 million, plus €260 million in inventory savings, a 60% reduction in vehicle delivery time, a 50% reduction in the carbon footprint of vehicle manufacturing and a contribution to the 60% reduction in warranty costs targeted by the Group. These objectives seem to be in a good lane for completion.

UN General Assembly goes AI

The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on impulsing a safe, secure and trustworthy artificial

intelligence systems. The resolution was adopted in late March by the GA under a no-vote procedure. It was impulsed by the United States of America, with the backing of more than 120 other Member States.

The core drive of the resolution is a call for action for all the governments in the world, as well as the private sector. AI must be developed in an ethical way, helping and with a focus on closing the digital gap between countries. International human rights law have an important role to play, as well as other important synergies with the telecommunications domain, and the military.

This resolution, and the international legislation impulsed worldwide, will have an undeniable impact in the Metaverse. AI systems are intrinsically linked to the Virtual Worlds, in a variety of forms: automated interactions between avatars, content creation and moderation, user-interface communication… The safe and ethical development of AI will also be a very important component of the Metaverse.

Telefónica spills the beans on the Virtual Worlds

The Spanish telco incumbent is developing an important effort for awareness on technology for the big public. Under their initiative Technology Geeks, they publish small comments and posts developing these technologies in layman´s terms. If your grandmother is asking what the Multiverse looks like, this explanation could be at hand. It is also an interesting effort for public awareness and knowledge dissemination, that has been focusing lately in the Metaverse.

Telefonica used to be a strong player in the European telecommunications domain. They used some of this leverage to immerse into technological developments that could improve the synergies in the telco world. Although they struggle with similar issues as the rest of operators in the world, they remain an interesting player as the incumbent operator in Spain, and with ascendent in Latin America.

The differences between Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Mixed Reality, the impact of the Multiverse in tourism, social inclusion, art and culture, are some of the features of their very educative videos.

Farewell, with a musical note. The famous Spanish metal-rock band Mägo de Oz put out a new album, with strong inspiration in our domain: Alicia en el Metalverso.

The recording for our last webinar «Final Fantasy, a roadmap for property in the Metaverse» is already available in our Youtube channel. Keep in mind our incoming I International Congress «Towards a Responsible Development of the Metaverse” to be hosted at University of Alicante, 13-14 June 2024.

If you would like to participate, stay tuned!»