Thierry Breton, former European commissioner for the internal market and services, provided strategic and operational guidance on how the European Union intends to approach the digital sector, valid for both the metaverse and Artificial Intelligence, starting with the relationship betweeen public and private and the need for open standards: “Private metaverses should be developed on the basis of inter-operable standards, and no single private operator should hold the key to the public environment or set the terms and conditions.”
No more specific indications are provided on which standards the European Union will support, partly because the technological landscape is still premature and rapidly evolving. On the other hand, it should be remembered that the World Wide Web and HTML were born in Europe and fit perfectly with the vision that favors open technologies and standards.
The European Union, which has already intervened in the digital arena in the past with several regulatory initiatives on relevant issues such as privacy, copyright, and competition, seems determined to act quickly on new technological trends, such as the metaverse: “This new virtual environment must incorporate European values from the outset. People must feel as safe in virtual worlds as in the real one.” Security for web users will cover many aspects, from protecting personal data to protecting savers from NFT scams and speculation.
Breton does not intend to repeat the mistake of letting private monopolies control the Metaverse and AI, as has happened instead in Web 2.0 (Social Media, Search Engines, App Stores, Operating Systems…). The statement, “We will not witness a new Wild West or new private monopolies,” suggests a willingness to intervene preemptively.
Still on the theme of the metaverse, he underlines the need to foster the emergence of not just one technology, but a plurality of platforms: “Not one but many metaverses are being developed, as a new generation of digital platforms offers people the opportunity to interact in completely innovative ways. Not only for entertainment purposes, but also for working together, developing artistic creativity, performing real-life simulations aimed at medical interventions, cultural preservation, environmental protection, disaster prevention, and much more.”
This view distances itself from the dominant approach in the U.S., and rather follows a pragmatic approach that emphasizes applications in many sectoral areas.
The public dimension according to Breton must be more prevalent than private domains.
Once again, these directions evoke a return to the open and public dimension of the Internet, with the immersive extension of existing interactive and transactional capabilities.
Breton illustrates a strategy that goes in a specific direction, namely towards creativity and innovation.
“Similar to the European Bauhaus, we will launch a creative, interdisciplinary movement with the goal of developing standards, increasing interoperability, and maximizing impact with the help of IT experts, regulatory experts, citizen organizations, and young people.”
The reference to Bauhaus also evokes the need for training: there is a need to train for the new professions. This is a challenge facing universities, research and training institutions, called upon to create a movement fueled in part by the social fabric.
Italiano