The Metaverse as a Virtual Model of Platform Urbanism: Its Converging AIoT, XReality, Neurotech, and Nanobiotech and Their Applications, Challenges, and Risks

Abstract

With their exponentially rising computational power, digital platforms are heralding a new era of hybrid intelligence. There has recently been much enthusiasm and hype that the Metaverse has the potential to unlock hybrid intelligence. This is premised on the idea that the Metaverse represents an applied convergence of Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) and Extended Reality (XR) that intersects with urbanism in terms of the distinctive features of platform-mediated everyday life experiences in cities. However, social interaction and its resulting social organization in the Metaverse are mediated and governed by algorithms and thus submitted to—a dream of—complete logical ordering. This raises a plethora of concerns related to the systemic collection and algorithmic processing of users’ personal, brain, and biometric data, i.e., profound societal—and the hardest to predict ethical—implications. Therefore, this study analyzes and synthesizes a large body of scientific literature on the unfolding convergence of AIoT and XR technologies, neurotechnology, and nanobiotechnology in the realm of the Metaverse in order to derive a novel conceptual framework for the Metaverse as an envisioned virtual model of platform urbanism. Further, it examines the key challenges and risks of these converging technologies in relation to the Metaverse and beyond. This study employs thematic analysis and synthesis to cope with multidisciplinary literature. The analysis identifies seven themes: (1) Platformization, (2) platform urbanism, (3) virtual urbanism, (4) XR technologies, (5) AIoT technologies, (6) neurotechnology, and (7) nanobiotechnology. The synthesized evidence reveals that, while neurotechnology and nanobiotechnology have numerous benefits and promising prospects, they raise contentions and controversies stemming from their potential use to inflict harm to human users—if left unchecked—through the black box of the algorithmic mediation underpinning the Metaverse. The findings serve to steer the Metaverse to contribute to human flourishing and wellbeing by adhering to and upholding ethical principles as well as leveraging its underlying disruptive technologies in meaningful ways. They also aid scholars, practitioners, and policymakers in assessing the pros and cons of these technologies, especially their inevitable ramifications.

Exploring Current Technologies, Applications, and Challenges in the Metaverse: A Comprehensive Survey

“…IoT devices and sensors collect real-time data from physical environments, enabling the integration of real-world data into virtual experiences within the Metaverse. IoT technology enables the creation of dynamic and interactive virtual environments that reflect real-world conditions and behaviors [23,24].…”

Methods and Techniques Supporting Energy and Media Savings in Maintenance of Public Transport Buses—State of the Art and Recommendations

“…Another trend developing in smart cities is immersive technology. An increasing number of publications relate to the usage, popularity and potential of virtual reality (VR) [70,71], augmented reality (AR) [72,73] and metaverse [74,75].…”

Harnessing the Potential of the Metaverse and Artificial Intelligence for the Internet of City Things: Cost-Effective XReality and Synergistic AIoT Technologies

“…These dynamic advancements have unveiled a wealth of captivating possibilities for crafting interactive and spellbinding encounters. These immersive technologies, when combined with the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), hold the potential to revolutionize the way we interact with the digital world as part of everyday life [1,2]. In particular, the emergence of the Metaverse, a digitally interconnected and immersive urban environment where virtual and physical realities converge, presents exciting opportunities for Extended Reality (XR) and Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) technologies, which intersects with "the distinctive features of platform-mediated everyday life experiences in cities" [1] in the realm of the Internet of City Things (IoCT).…”

“…These immersive technologies, when combined with the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI), hold the potential to revolutionize the way we interact with the digital world as part of everyday life [1,2]. In particular, the emergence of the Metaverse, a digitally interconnected and immersive urban environment where virtual and physical realities converge, presents exciting opportunities for Extended Reality (XR) and Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) technologies, which intersects with "the distinctive features of platform-mediated everyday life experiences in cities" [1] in the realm of the Internet of City Things (IoCT). As an emerging concept (e.g., [3]) reflects the integration of numerous IoT devices, sensors, and technologies with VR/AR/MR within urban environments to create smart cities, offering promising avenues for creating intelligent interconnected cities.…”