“As these systems capture my biometric data, my likeness as an artist-technician is the inseparable essence of my characters and I should participate in any value or application created by my unique biometric expression.”
Brendan Bradley
Will Someone Own a Digital Version of Me in the Metaverse?
The metaverse is largely undiscovered territory when it comes to the rapidly evolving digital landscape. If you’re interested in seeing what all the talk is about, you’re not alone.
Tech giants like Apple, Google, and Facebook are all allocating resources to the new virtual world. In anticipation of some major innovations, Microsoft acquired the game developer Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion. It is clear that there are some ambitious plans on the table for this new metaverse.
While you can enter your virtual second life, there’s a lot of gray area that has yet to be explored and established.
As with any new groundbreaking platform, there’s potential for a lot of good and also a lot of bad. Laws or regulations aren’t exactly established in that realm as of now and it seems like anything can happen without repercussions. This is where one can enter dangerous territory. With how far technology can advance, people can pose as you and tarnish your image. We’ve yet to see the extent of what people can do with deep fakes.
Tech startup Wild Capture says “Not owning your digital likeness is something that everyone should fear”.
Wild Capture is a “digital human” studio that develops volumetric video capturing. Their video captures are advanced, smooth, and move naturally from all angles. Most recently, they partnered up with Sprite and rapper Big Latto for this volumetric video performance, unveiled during halftime for an Atlanta Hawks game. As tech like this advances and is given marketing opportunities, it seems like digital humans could be making their debut sooner than we think.
“Looking at the current NFT market, you might not even be able to afford to buy your own likeness.”
Khoa Le is the owner of NFT Marketplace Platform Sutudu and overall tech guru, is a champion of the arts. While being a proponent of artists’ creative rights in the NFT space, it is a delicate subject. With the metaverse currently expanding, someone like Khoa wouldn’t be opposed to artists expressing themselves in ways they see fit. Without design and art, the metaverse wouldn’t be attractive and flashy. However, crossing the fine line into someone else’s identity is not at all ideal. For someone like Khoa, that might be too difficult to monitor.
Brendan Bradley is a virtual reality performer/actor who is already plenty experienced in the field. Bradley has performed and produced breathtaking live theater performances in different metaverses like VR Chat, Mozilla Hubs and performed the halftime show at the WebXR Awards. Bradley has little concern about the digital identity theft possibilities, as the technology can detect such misconduct.
With so many differing opinions and developments out there regarding the topic, participants and skeptics alike will just have to wait and see what happens.
