Category: Metaverse

Artificial Friends (AFs) and Simulacra

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Science fiction stories often predict or mirror life but sometimes in unique ways that differ from reality. In an age of XR, where simulacra becomes almost bigger than life, multiple realities make the physical world only one part of reality. AFs (artificial friends), like Klara in Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro, are already here and his book speaks to us through the voice of an AI chatbot. Those of us who have spent a good deal of time in the metaverse have a glimpse into the future that AI is impacting through experiencing simulacra in real virtual environments. Many remain hopeful that we will make clear distinctions between AI agents, (AFs or chatbots) and human beings.

Stefan Beck, in his Klara and the Sun book review, stated, “AI categorically cannot become self-aware, though it may achieve a simulation of self-awareness sufficient to dupe a human.” Personally, I agree with his statement because AI is simply a house of content built by human language and can never have what we humans call a “soul”. Much argument about the capabilities of AI and the potential for becoming sentient is currently undergoing philosophical debate. (Note to self: AI is prompting me to help write this blog post and I am saying NO to that!)

Ishiguro gives Klara, as an artificial friend, a clear voice as the narrator and allows each reader to interpret the argument about “what makes a human being differ from an AI embodied chatbot”. Our human frailties are woven throughout the novel as seen through Klara’s (who obviously was programmed with Isaac Asimov’s three rules of robotics) eyes and Klara will make sacrifices for her human girl, Josie.

Humans, in the big picture, are small and insignificant with soft bodies and short life spans. Yet, we are capable of amazing ideas, strong wills, great faith, perseverance and incredible creativity. AI provides the illusion of having those traits by data mining our language and spitting back out a conglomeration of that data in whatever new formats we create: video, audio, text, and more. Simulacra has reached a new level which makes us doubt and question our humanity. The next generation is now challenged with sorting multiple realities and finding meaning in both the tangible context and the symbolic context of simulacra. What something means and represents goes beyond the physical world and is sometimes more powerful.

Recently, my daughter and I presented at a Virtual World Mental Health Symposium on the topic of “The Impact of Parasocial Relationships with AI on Mental Health”. I learned a lot about the current state of teens and AI from my daughter, Rose, who has worked in the mental health profession. This work and research on artificial intelligence aligns with my passion for digital citizenship as it is rapidly evolving (or perhaps exploding) and becoming popular.

The images in our presentation were created by AI using Midjourney (by my daughter Rose) and perhaps my favorite part of working with her on this “deep dive” into the current state of AI chatbots was her conclusion. Rose said, “What we have covered in this presentation around the landscape of AI chatbots is not about what is about to happen or what we think is going to happen. It’s about what is already happening right now. Teens are right this moment developing emotionally deep relationships with AI. And most adults are still struggling to wrap their minds around what exists”. This isn’t going away and is certainly going to play a part of essential digital citizenship.

Acrostic Metaverse (across the metaverse)

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Acrostic Metaverse

Milky Way dancefloor of starlight for our
Embodiment as avatars
Teleports us to virtual gardens of orange fragrant flowers
Accompanying our footsteps with the sound of bells where
Volumes of books hang from trees like
Educational ornaments 
Ripe for a virtual harvest
Synchronizing our history with our dreams amidst
Each soul learning to live with pixel flesh and blood of code

Image created on Night Cage AI image generator

AI Meanderings on Avatars and Poetry

I wrote the acrostic metaverse poem for a friend (Sitearm) who shares my interest in teaching and learning in the metaverse with emphasis on art and music. We worked collaboratively with a virtual music application across distance using my words and his tech skills. Poetry is my favorite form of writing and art (being a word person). Last year, I tried using a prompt to see how AI can write and it was amazingly frightening! The poem, Acrostic Metaverse, came only from my owns words and I never again will use AI for poetry as I feel it robs me of the process. To give voice to a poem is a deep intimate process that involves the writer and the muse conceiving and giving birth. This analogy brings artificial insemination to mind and great joy has been given to parents who might be childless without outside help.

The image in this blogpost came from Night Cafe AI image generator with the prompt: Avatars dancing on the milky way stars with books hanging from trees in the background. Certainly, I could have shot a photo in the virtual world of Second Life, but I wanted to see how quickly AI could create imagery in a variety of styles. In mere seconds, this image appeared and it made me realize how fast our world will change. We have yet to understand the impact of AI. As I write this post, I notice the AI Assistant has provided tips, suggesting I link to work a by Sitearm to provide readers with context! (Note that I took the advice). AI Assistant also suggests that I “reflect on the potential ethical considerations of AI in creative processes to deepen the discussion”. Some may argue this use of assistance by artificial intelligence will enhance our critical thinking in the future. No doubt there are pros and cons and I lean more to the view that AI is a robber of individual thought! (But thanks for the tip!)

I am realizing that AI is artificial but avatars are not. An avatar is a computerized representation of a real person. In the future, it will be extremely difficult to distinguish real humans in avatar form from AI chat bots. A part of digital citizenship will be to understand the difference between the creativity of humans and artificial intelligence … to understand the difference between our physical bodies and our “pixel flesh and blood of code”. I look forward to combining poetry and music with an awareness and appreciation of the pain and beauty of the process.

Book Review: Making a Metaverse That Matters

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Here’s a must read title for anyone who wants to understand the metaverse–  Making a Metaverse that Matters: From Snow Crash & Second Life to A Virtual World Worth Fighting For by Wagner James Au.

In my own personal view, the metaverse is a virtual place not an app. Wagner James Au agrees and he shares Tom Boellstorff’s comment about the metaverse being a place by stating, “And you even see this in English with prepositions, where people say you go on Facebook, but you go in Roblox or Second Life or whatever” (Au, 2023, p. xxiv).

Au’s book gives a thorough examination of the past, present, and future of the metaverse, introduced up front with his definition: “The Metaverse is a vast, immersive virtual world simultaneously accessible by millions of people through highly customizable avatars and powerful experience creation tools integrated with the offline world through its virtual economy and external technology” (Au, 2023, p. xxiii). I feel that my own definition aligns well with his and the book is rich with information about the many uses of virtual environments.

History of the Metaverse

Au validates my belief that Second Life (SL) is the original metaverse stemming from the “now classic” Neal Stephenson novel Snow Crash. While it is obvious that SL didn’t become widely adopted (as predicted in the early days from 2003-2006), it has survived for over twenty years with dedicated users, albeit mostly over the age of 35.  Second Life provided lessons upon which to build a sustainable metaverse platform and Au shares great knowledge of this history, complete with an early days story in the appendix (don’t miss it!) about a revolt against virtual taxes reminiscent of the Boston Tea Party!

His depiction of the ups and downs of Second Life includes amazing stories of artists, musicians, content creators, and close-knit communities from around the world. Having spent years in Second Life and other virtual worlds, Au believes VR headsets are not necessary to experience the metaverse and many educators I work with agree that the metaverse can be experienced on a screen as well as with a headset (which I greatly prefer).  The background presented in this book is important for understanding how the metaverse came to be and how it may evolve.

Current Popular Metaverse Platforms

Roblox and Fortnight are current gigantic metaverse virtual worlds with primarily a gaming focus.  Some companies (and even politicians) utilize these worlds to advertise or campaign or promote activism. Personally, I have heard concerns and frustration from Second Life colleagues about Facebook changing the platform name to Meta and Au highlights Meta’s failure to become the metaverse with a capital M as he shares an excellent overview of all the current platforms rapidly growing in popularity.

Surprisingly, Au holds the view that interoperability (which has been talked about for years as being essential to the real metaverse) may not be necessary! He argues that it is the communities within virtual environments that need to be able to cross platforms—not the platforms themselves.  He tells us that most virtual world users, my colleagues and myself included, use Discord as the connection between virtual worlds.  The concept of interoperability as a core element of the metaverse is, according to Au, a myth. 

Another myth, which may surprise some people, is that the metaverse is for everyone!  Au believes that possibly only one in four individuals find engaging in a metaphor of the world to be an exciting, advantageous experience.  He states, “That said, recall that 1 in 10 of the globe’s Internet users, 500 million+ people, are already active users of a metaverse platform” (Au, 2023, p. 201). This leaves room to expand in the future while still allowing choice for users to find communication tools that work for them in particular ways for specific reasons.

What are the reasons to be in the metaverse?  There are many!  Wagner James Au provides many stories, such as an elderly blues singer, a clothing designer, and a thoughtful artist.  Most virtual environments provide opportunities for gaming and socializing (such as VRChat, Roblox, Fortnight, and many others).  While Au does mention the potential for education in the metaverse, it is not at the top of this list.  This is unsurprising because there is way more money made in the entertainment industry than in the field of education.  But research shows that virtual worlds like Minecraft and Second Life have potential for education and the next generation is already struggling with the perils of social media and the “endless scroll”.  Rather than “edit their lives” with photo apps and constant posts, young people need to understand digital citizenship (my own passion as a librarian educator) and these skills can be embedded in the metaverse through metaliteracy.

Future of the Metaverse

Those of us who have spent years in the Metaverse (Second Life and other virtual worlds) understand that anything you can imagine can be created there. The memories of experiences and places are real.  Yet, reading about “uploading our consciousness” or “potential immortality” can seem downright creepy. 

Au’s view of a future metaverse that brings people together and provides positive outcomes for our economy, culture, and planet are positive.  Of course, I would include the importance of edifying experiences for our youth and educational content rather than more zombie slaying!  Wagner James Au believes that we can learn from the past lessons of metaverse origins toward using virtual environments for best practices.  Hopefully, education, reading, bringing history and stories to life, advocating values like empathy, and connecting people through creative and enlightening experiences will all be in the forefront.  Ban those griefers!

Enter the Human Brain in the Metaverse

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Brodmann’s Brain

While the areas of the human brain were mapped by Brodmann over a hundred years ago, they are still useful for study today. Learning about the brain in the metaverse, where students embodied as avatars can enter virtual spaces together, provides a new and enlightening experience.

A recent tour for the VWER (Virtual Worlds Education Roundtable) provided a lively discussion about the potential for students to enter content in new ways. A 3D model built by Dr. David Hubbard (David Arguna in Second Life) illustrates a high quality learning experience that cannot be done in the physical world. One educator said, “This is much easier to see and imagine than simply looking at a picture in a book.”

The metaverse is quickly evolving and will provide new ways to learn. Educators at the VWER weekly meeting on Thursdays at NOON Pacific Time believe VR headsets are not really necessary! Virtual worlds provide a great way to be immersed in 3D learning in the metaverse without the trapped feeling and high cost of individual headsets. In Second Life, students cannot just learn in environments like Brodmann’s Brain, they can create rich learning spaces themselves.

Educators and learners interested in these new opportunities should acquaint themselves with the Virtual Worlds Education Consortium and the Community Virtual Library.