A TECH race to build the most sophisticated and expansive metaverse could establish the next world power and change the future of war.
The metaverse is still in its infancy, but its limitless potential is seducing companies to invest billions of dollars into its development.
Most of the metaverse’s potential uses in the US have been tied to commercial and recreational civilian purposes.
But China is prepping for metaverse warfare that “affects the opponent’s thinking, cognition and action decision making,” according to a March 2022 report by an Air Force think tank.
Elmer Francisco, CEO of VetCoin Foundation, told The Sun that the metaverse the next evolutionary step in weaponry after drones.
“Before, people used swords to fight. Nowadays, people use guns and other weapons. Then countries used drones. It’s similar except now in the metaverse, soldiers are using computers to engage in cyber warfare,” Francisco said.
One military application, Francisco said, is creating real-life avatars or robots that can be controlled from a distance like one would use a virtual reality set.
Except, it would be XR – extended reality – technology that “you would use to manipulate the real world with machines even though you’re not there physically,” he said.
“In the military, there will be no soldiers who need to be amputated because it would be their robot that is blown up by explosives,” Francisco said.
“It would be like a computer game. You’ll just spawn elsewhere. There would be a base where these robotics or avatars would be and some soldier from the United States controlling that robot.”
But, the VetCoin CEO said this is reactive. There’s an opportunity to be proactive and use the metaverse as a deterant like the atomic bomb did for decades.
“We have to make our systems ironclad and foolproof so competitors of the United States will be deterred,” he said.
“When you have the most advanced technology, which for the longest time after the Cold War, the United States has the most advanced technology in terms of many things, especially the military. That’s why other countries don’t mess with the United States before.
In theory, the stronger the deterrent, the more this technology can be used for humanitarian purposes – like medical missions – rather than violent conflict.
“It’s technology and it depends on how you use it,” he said. “You can use your cell phone to call a loved one or you can use it to detonate a bomb.
“It’s so important to make the technology as advanced as possible so that no one will even think about doing something foolish like a war.”
