On Wednesday 11 July, the European Commission presented its strategy for tackling the fourth generation of the Internet (‘Web 4.0’) and virtual worlds. With this legislative initiative, it also intends to position the EU as a major player in the field, given that the global market for virtual worlds is expected to “grow from €27 billion in 2022 to more than €800 billion in 2030”.
“Today, Europe is entering the race to become a world leader in Web 4.0 and virtual worlds. Europe has everything it needs to lead the next technological transition: innovative start-ups, rich creative content and industrial applications, an important role as a global standard setter, and a predictable legal framework conducive to innovation. We’re going to take this competitive advantage to the next level”, commented Commissioner for the Internal Market Thierry Breton.
The Commission’s plan will focus on a number of areas. Firstly, by the first quarter of 2024, it is expected to publish a ‘citizen’s toolkit’ which will provide guidance to the general public on the guiding principles for virtual worlds. These guidelines will be proposed by a citizens’ panel.
The Commission will also be working with EU Member States to set up a training programme to develop the necessary skills. These projects will be funded through the ‘Digital Europe’ programme. Digital content creators would receive funding from the ‘Creative Europe’ programme as part of their training.
On the business side, the Commission is counting on a partnership under ‘Horizon Europe’ to encourage research and develop an industrial and technological roadmap for virtual worlds. This could see the light of day in 2025.
‘Regulatory sandboxes’ and a people-centred approach
As with other sectoral legislation, such as artificial intelligence (see EUROPE 13219/12), the Commission also plans to develop ‘regulatory sandboxes’ with the Member States to bring together developers and industry players.
The Commission’s approach is also based on the fact that – here again, as in the case of other sectoral legislation, and AI in particular – the human element is at the heart of the legislative work.
“We need to put people at the centre and shape them in accordance with the EU’s digital rights and principles in order to address the risks associated with the protection of privacy or disinformation”, explained Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President for A Europe Fit for the Digital Age.
To achieve this, the Commission’s strategy calls for the introduction of global and interoperable standards for virtual worlds, so that “they are not dominated by a few major players”.
A number of projects are also planned, such as ‘CitiVerse’, which should take the form of an ‘immersive’ urban environment that can be used for city planning and management. Another project will be devoted to the human body, to facilitate clinical decisions and personal treatment.
See the document: https://aeur.eu/f/80h (Original version in French by Thomas Mangin)