Main topic
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND SECURITY
METAVERSES, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND CHALLENGES TO PSYCHOLOGICAL SECURITY
Abstract
Today, the rapid development of the fourth industrial revolution and the emergence of the latest digital technologies leads to the gradual creation of a fundamentally new “socio-technological” reality – a metaverse that will permeate all levels of society and human existence: socio-social relations, economics, political processes, thus influencing the psychology of human consciousness and perception of reality.
The existence, full functioning of this new “Reality 2.0” and its convergence with the physical world will be provided by a wide range of new technologies, one of which is “advanced” artificial intelligence (AI) systems, which will underlie the basis of the creation of the metaverse architecture itself and be used for 3D modeling, creation of digital objects, design and expansion virtual worlds-clusters, data analysis, etc.
At the same time, metaverses implementing technologies of full immersion in virtual reality are able to release conflict potential and create a wide range of opportunities for ultimate antisocial impact on social processes, social groups and individuals through specific forms of malicious use of AI in order to undermine psychological stability (PS).
The article will consider specific technologies of influencing the consciousness of users through AI. Special attention will be paid to how the use of AI systems in metaverses can produce local and global threats to psychological stability, and through that to political, economic, military institutions.
The relevance of the paper is due to the growing popularity of the phenomenon of metaverses and growing number of users (“meta-citizens”), increased investments in this area and the development of AI technologies that make the experience of being in the metaverses more immersive, which in turn makes users most vulnerable to HT psychological influences. Today, at the level of states, international institutions and global forums, the importance of regulating the new reality and creating a safe metaverse is being stated, which makes it necessary to study possible options for negative effects on consciousness through AI technologies and consider ways to counter these threats.
At the same time, there is a lack of studies in this area that negatively affects the level of expert assessments, the effectiveness of decision-making and, more broadly, the level of awareness of the general public about the nature and size of emerging threats. The paper aims to close this gap whenever possible and contribute to a broader discussion on this hot issue.
References
Ball, Matthew. 2022. The Metaverse: And How It Will Revolutionize Everything. Chicago, Illinois: Independent Publisher Corporatio.
Bastian, Matthias. 2022. “Meta drops smartwatch project, but continues to work on a Metaverse wristband.” Mixed. https://mixed-news.com/en/meta-stops-smartwatch-project-continues-tinkering-with-metaverse-wristband/
Bazarkina, Darya Yu., Evgeny N. Pashentsev. 2020. “Malicious use of artifcial intelligence.” Russia in Global Affairs 4: 154–177. doi: 10.31278/1810-6374-2020- 18-4-154-177.
Bilal, Muhammad, Abdullah Gani, Muhammad Ikram Ullah Lali, Mohsen Marjani Nadia Malik. 2019. “Social Profiling: A Review, Taxonomy, and Challenges.” Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking 22 (7): 433-450. doi: 10.1089/cyber.2018.0670.
Burke, Lilah. 2020. “The Death and Life of an Admissions Algorithm”. Inside Higher Ed. https://www.insidehighered.com/admissions/article/2020/12/14/u-texas-will-stop-using-controversial-algorithm-evaluate-phd.
Colajuta, Jim. 2022 All you need to know about metaverse: Complete survey on technologies, extended reality, artifcial intelligence, blockchain. Computer Vision and Future Mobile Networks. Vincenzo Nappi.
Council of the European Union. 2022. “Metaverse – Virtual World, Real Challenges.” Analysis and research team. 9 march 2022. Council of the European Union. Last accessed 2 July 2023. https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/54987/metaverse-paper-9-march-2022.pdf?__cf_chl_tk=ttiiW5j47yV.tklllmV2zlAtClwOUvPEti252zGYHc4-1688556156-0-gaNycGzNDHs
Dastin, Jeffrey. 2018. “Amazon scraps secret AI recruiting tool that showed bias against women.” Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-amazon-com-jobs-automation-insight/amazon-scraps-secret-ai-recruiting-tool-that-showed-bias-against-women-idUSKCN1MK08G
Europol. 2022. “Policing in the metaverse: what law enforcement needs to know.” An observatory report from the Europol Innovation Lab. Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg. Last accessed 29 May 2023. https://www.europol.europa.eu/publications-events/publications/policing-in-metaverse-what-law-enforcement-needs-to-know.
Guembe, Blessing, Ambrose Azeta, Sanjay Misra, Victor Chukwudi Osamor, Luis Fernandez-Sanz and Vera Pospelova. 2022. “The Emerging Threat of Ai-driven Cyber Attacks: A Review.” Applied Artificial Intelligence. An International Journal 36 (1): 1-34. doi: 10.1080/08839514.2022.2037254
Holmes, Jack. 2023. “Are We Ready for AI to Raise the Dead?” Esquire. https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a43774075/artificial-intelligence-digital-immortality/.
Huq, Numaan, Roel Reyes, Philippe Lin, and Morton Swimmer. 2022. Metaverse or metaworse? Cybersecurity Threats Against the Internet of Experiences. Trend Micro Research.
Huynh-The, Thien, Quoc-Viet Pham, Xuan-Qui Pham, Thanh Thi Nguyen, Zhu Han, and Dong-Seong Kim. 2023. “Artificial intelligence for the metaverse: A survey.” 117 (5): 105581. doi: 10.1016/j.engappai.2022.105581.
Kaspar’yanc, D. 2022. Metavselennaya: vozmozhnosti i riski novoj real’nosti [Metaverse: Opportunities and risks of a new reality]. Nauchno-tekhnicheskij centr FGUP “GRCHC”. Last accessed 21 May 2023. https://rdc.grfc. ru/2022/02/metaverse/.
Kim, Jooyoung. 2021. “Advertising in the Metaverse: Research Agenda.” Journal of Interactive Advertising 21 (3): 141-144. doi: 10.1080/15252019.2021.2001273.
Narla, Akhila, Brett Kuprel, Kavita Sarin, Roberto Novoa, Justin Ko. 2018. “Automated Classification of Skin Lesions: From Pixels to Practice.” Journal of Investigative Dermatology 138 (10): 2108-2110. doi: 10.1016/j.jid.2018.06.175.
Nichols Michelle. UN Security Council meets for the first time on AI risks. Reuters. Last accessed 15 September 2023. https://www.reuters.com/technology/un-security-council-meets-first-time-ai-risks-2023-07-18/
Porter, Jon. 2020. “UK ditches exam results generated by biased algorithm after student protests.” The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2020/8/17/21372045/uk-a-level-results-algorithm-biased-coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic-university-applications
Rijmenam, Mar Van. 2022. Step into the Metaverse: How the immersive internet will unlock a trillion-dollar social economy. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley.
Pashentsev, Evgeny. 2016. “Prognostic Weapons and the Struggle with Terrorism.” Counter-Terrorism, 2, 9–13.
Pashentsev, Evgeny. 2017. “Strategic Communication and Prognostic Weapons”. International scientific and practical conference “Transformation of International Relations in the XXI Century: Challenges and Prospects”. Moscow, April 26, 2016. P.255-262.
Pashentsev, Evgeny (ed.). 2023. The Palgrave Handbook of Malicious Use of AI and Psychological Security. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-22552-9
Sebekin, Sergey A., Andrei Kalegin. 2023. “Malicious Use of Artificial Intelligence in the Metaverse: Possible Threats and Countermeasures.” In The Palgrave Handbook of Malicious Use of AI and Psychological Security, ed. Evgeny Pashentsev, 583-606. Cham: Palgrave Macmillan.
Sharma, Pranjal. 2023. “Neuro feedback devices that read your mind are here.” Business Standart. https://www.business-standard.com/opinion/columns/neuro-feedback-devices-that-read-your-mind-are-here-123061100521_1.html
Tangermann, Victor. 2022. “Elon Musk Says the Metaverse Sucks and Neuralink Will Be Better “Sure you can put a TV on your nose. I’m not sure that makes you ‘in the metaverse.”“ Futurism. https://futurism.com/elon-musk-metaverse-sucks-neuralink-better
Tilley, Aaron. 2017. “Grand Theft Auto V: The Rise And Fall Of The DIY Self-Driving Car Lab.” Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/aarontilley/2017/10/04/grand-theft-auto-v-the-rise-and-fall-of-the-diy-self-driving-car-lab/?sh=27bc2ce67d7a.
World Economic Forum. 2023. “Defining and Building the Metaverse.” Last accessed 5 July 2023. https://initiatives.weforum.org/defining-and-building-the-metaverse/home.
XRToday. 2023. “Artifcial intelligence in the Metaverse: Bridging the virtual and real.” May 12, 2023. Last accessed 5 June 2023. https://www.xrtoday.com/virtual-reality/artificial-intelligence-in-the-metaverse-bridging-the-virtual-and-real/.
Zouave, Erik, Marc Bruce, Kajsa Colde, Margarita Jaitner, Ioana Rodhe, Tommy Gustafsson. 2020. “Artificially intelligent cyberattacks”. Totalförsvarets forskningsinstitut FOI. Last accessed 12 June 2023. https://www.statsvet.uu.se/digitalAssets/769/c_769530-l_3-k_rapport-foi-vt20.pdf.