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First came Bitcoin, then came NFT, and now it’s Metaverse that’s the talk of the town. Owing to this newfound popularity, many businesses are developing initiatives to launch themselves in the Metaverse. Governments all over the world are also attempting to delve into this universe beyond the real universe.
But is India in the same league? To know more about Indian participation in this landscape, Analytics India Magazine reached out to Anurag Wasnik, an innovation leader with the Atal innovation mission at NITI Aayog. The Atal innovation’s mission is primarily responsible for finding the gaps in the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem of the country and creating programmes and policies which will help fulfil such gaps.
AIM: In a country of 1.3 billion people, tapping into the metaverse sounds good. But do you think it’ll become a resource for people with resources only?
Anurag: Metaverse is linked to technology and technological adaptations, in any part of the world, is very difficult. So, if you compare any technological product—let’s say a mobile or a washing machine—it took a certain amount of time for people to get accustomed to the technology for it to then develop and mature and you know, for every technological product, there are certain early adopters and there are some who take their time. Metaverse is a thing that will heavily rely on certain devices. So, as the technology improves, the cost of these products will tend to reduce and you will be able to see more and more people coming onto the platform and using it.
If you look back about 15 to 20 years ago, not everyone had a mobile in their hands; only a few people could afford it. But now if you see, almost everyone—from elders to school-going children—in the society are able to afford mobile phones. With the chipsets being manufactured in India, the prices are likely to reduce even more.
The same is going to happen with metaverse, there will be certain early adopters and certain late ones. But down the line, you will see more and more folks coming onto the platform and eventually making it mainstream.
AIM: Many people believe Metaverse is just a buzzword, what are your opinions about it?
Anurag: No, it isn’t just a buzzword, not anymore. See, if you see in web 2.0, the services started moving to the internet. Similar shifts are bound to happen in the metaverse case—moving from web 2.0 to 3.0.
Imagine a scenario where the government starts providing its services in the metaverse; for example, there would be services for voting, registration, discussion about laws and regulations, conducting town hall meetings—the opportunities are immense.
All the governmental services would start coming in the metaverse where user queries would be handled by certain government employees in their digital avatars. The city of Seoul in South Korea, for example, is one of the major cities to start its public service digital platform. They have built a virtual city hall, which basically is the space for public gatherings and digital Community Services.
Similarly, the nation of Barbados is the first country in the world to build an embassy in the metaverse. Another noteworthy example is the UAE which is trying to create “One Human Reality,” a human-centred city on metaverse. I foresee that India also would take strides in the same direction.
AIM: How do you think Metaverse can help in public involvement in policy-making?
Anurag: If you have been to the Parliament, there are seats for observers, both in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. There are certain tickets provided where people can observe the debates that are happening in both the houses. So, when such a facility is available in the physical infrastructure, why shouldn’t there be a facility available in the metaverse?
You can be a part of the legislation that is proceeding and you can be a part of the lawmaking process of the country where your digital avatar would be able to sit in any of the lower or upper housing, see how the debates happen and be more informed about the concerns of our lawmakers. I think that will generally make them feel more involved in the entire process of lawmaking.
AIM: What are the challenges regarding the introduction of Metaverse?
Anurag: There are several challenges that lie ahead for the government in their initiative to introduce the metaverse. Like how will it tackle the energy and computing power that is required to enable it and the cost barrier for several users?
Then, there is also the due development of infrastructure—basically the metaverse infrastructure. The government needs to take care that the Metaverse divide isn’t created because of a difference in affordability; that all the citizens have the purchasing power for such kind of equipment, if necessary.
Lastly, its personal data privacy. We have seen a lot of cases happening—even to the extent of molestation in Metaverse—after which, you know, the company started modulating their policies and the way in which they function when they created a boundary between individuals. So, the government has to make sure that the entire process, before it rolls out to the masses, is economical and safe. It needs to be legal, and it needs to be able to spread to the masses with ease.
Above mentioned views are of Anurag Wasnik and do not represent the views of NITI Aayog or any government body.
