Generative AI in the Metaverse: New Frontiers in Virtual Design and Interaction

The proliferation of generative AI (GenAI) throughout diverse domains underlines the powerful appeal of this technology. Its application in metaverse research is already wide-ranging, with exploratory applications in the generation of text, code, planning, geometry and imagery. From ideation to creation, GenAI promises to speed up development through tools for design, graphics, animation and textures, NPCs and dialogue. Alongside this rapid rise, GenAI has also raised questions about ethics and legal concerns, as well as debates around hype and overreach.

This Research Topic engages the varied fields of metaverse research that have strong GenAI use cases and aims to assess the transformative potential of GenAI across industries such as gaming, social VR, robotics, education, healthcare and customer service, and discuss its growing implications in content authenticity and ethical usage. By exploring its ability to generate dynamic narratives and interactive environments, this investigation will shed light on both technological advancements and the intricate ethical landscapes shaped by rapid AI integration.

To further advance this developing field, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

- Procedural content generation
- Agent behaviors and interaction
- Motion control and planning
- Research and applications of AI-generated images and video
- Techniques for generating 3D models
- Exploration of AI-generated music
- Generative AI applications in video creation, including deepfake technologies
- Text generation for conversational agents and digital assistants
- Integration with interactive storytelling and game narratives
- Applications in multiplayer and social VR experiences
- Challenges related to real-time responses
- Ethical and legal considerations in the metaverse

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Conceptual Analysis
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Conceptual Analysis
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Registered Report
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: generative AI, large language model, GPT, virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality, user experience, embodied virtual assistants, procedural content generation, games, ethical implications of VR, GanAI, LLM, diffusion model

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.