The AI has taken the stage when it comes to hype and news. No wonder, since these Large Language Model AIs have shown they are very versatile and capable to meet a lot of different needs. And it doesn’t stop there. As technology continues to advance, the concept of the metaverse is becoming more and more a reality than a distant dream. With the advent of virtual assistants that have natural language understanding and speech interface capabilities, the metaverse is set to become even more exciting and immersive.
Virtual assistants with natural language understanding and speech interface capabilities are not a new concept. Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant are just a few examples of such virtual assistants that have been around for several years. However, who can say these assistants are easy to talk with? At least my experience is that these assistants just got old when Large Language Models (like OpenAI ChatGPT) came out for use. With the increasing popularity of AI and the metaverse, virtual assistants are poised to take on a whole new level of usage.
In the metaverse, virtual assistants can serve as personal guides, helping users navigate the virtual world and access various services and features. With natural language understanding, these virtual assistants can interpret and respond to users’ requests, making it easier for them to get the information they need and perform various tasks.
Moreover, with speech interface capabilities, users can communicate with virtual assistants using their voice, which makes the experience even more immersive – and easier to use. For example, instead of typing a message to their virtual assistant, users can simply speak to it, and the assistant will respond in a natural, conversational tone. Similarly, virtual assistants can also use text-to-speech capabilities to respond to users’ requests, further enhancing the immersive experience. Speech to text can also amp up producing content in metaverse. We all know how “fun” it is to write with virtual keyboard hovering in the air. Natural language understand and advancements with speech to text technology opens totally new doors. I predict we will see “Metaverse Copilots” helping us to produce content while we are in the metaverse. Instead of dictating a long story, we tell (or ask) “Metaverse Copilot / Assistant” to write us a draft about specific topic. I use the name “Metaverse Copilot” since Microsoft announced their Copilots for lots of applications and the concept is the same. It is a virtual assistant.
One more aspect of virtual assistant with natural language understanding and speech interface capabilities is the potential to enable more complex interactions in the metaverse. For example, users can engage in more nuanced conversations with virtual assistants, asking follow-up questions and receiving more detailed answers. This can help users feel more connected to the virtual world and create a more immersive experience overall.
It is not about asking for information – best results with modern virtual assistants are gained when you connect that to processes and start using the bot as the true personal assistant. It could be booking calendar meetings, adding tasks, starting approval processes, requesting a new device from IT or filling your vacation planner – just by using speech or text with a natural language. These can be already done – all the technology exists. No, we don’t have Microsoft Mesh yet but it is a matter of short time since there is already a Mesh session listed in Microsoft Build’s scheduler. You can build the assistant today and add metaverse visual form as one endpoint for users.
Overall, the emergence of virtual assistants with natural language understanding and speech interface capabilities is set to transform the metaverse and make it even more exciting and immersive than ever before. As the technology continues to evolve, we can expect to see even more advanced virtual assistants that can provide users with an even more seamless and personalized experience in the metaverse.
I have said before, and repeat it again, that we will see AI everywhere. I didn’t think it would happen this fast, but I am happy how technology is advancing! With the help of AI we can experience and use Metaverse in a very versatile way. And it doesn’t have to be immersive Metaverse, where everything happens in the virtual world. We will use the approach everywhere and on all devices and wearables on all realities.
Vesa Nopanen - My Metaverse Day 