China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has unveiled a list of 60 experts from academia, government, and business tasked with establishing standards for the metaverse. The working group, comprising representatives from major companies such as Huawei, ZTE, Tencent, NetEase, Baidu, Alibaba’s Ant Group, and Lenovo, is open for public feedback until February 18.
Members hail from diverse sectors, including telecommunications, gaming, artificial intelligence, and academia, with participants from organizations like MIIT, the China National Institute for Standardization of Electronics Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Peking University, and Fudan University.
The move follows Beijing’s announcement in September 2023 of its intention to form the working group. MIIT expressed specific concerns about issues in the metaverse, including the handling of sensitive personal information, digital identity proliferation, pyramid schemes, online violence, and inadequate information security practices.
The working group aims to formulate both general and technical standards, covering areas such as metaverse terminology, reference architectures, identity systems, digital content generation, and cross-domain interoperability.
China has been proactive in influencing the development of the metaverse, as reflected in the composition of the expert group. This effort aligns with the nation’s strategy to assert influence over the narrative and structure of the metaverse. The list of participants mirrors those selected for China’s Joint Research Institute of Metaverse and Virtual-Real Interaction, established in the 2022 era.
Despite metaverse hype, with various market predictions, including Canalys suggesting that most metaverse business projects may be defunct by 2025, China appears committed to long-term engagement by involving major industry players in standardization efforts. This strategic move underscores Beijing’s focus on shaping the trajectory of the metaverse in the global technology landscape.
