Robbie Williams, the beloved British pop singer, is set to make an appearance in the virtual city known as LightCycle. Williams has joined the metaverse craze by becoming a part of LightCycle, a virtual city created using Unreal Engine 5. As reported by Variety, Williams will be featured on the platform during its launch in the fourth quarter of this year.
Expressing his excitement, Williams stated that the metaverse opens up a new avenue for music discovery, prompting him to venture into the world of virtual reality. However, it was noted that Williams’ partnership is not directly with LightCycle, but with AI infrastructure provider Vertexlabs.uk. The details of the agreement, including financial terms, have not been disclosed yet.
Despite the growing popularity of the metaverse, it still lacks certain features that could make it more competitive with video games in terms of immersion. While virtual reality startups have collaborated with several celebrities like Snoop Dogg, Andrew Yang, and Lady Gaga, the industry has yet to make significant strides forward as major companies remain skeptical about the technology’s readiness for mainstream adoption.
For instance, The Walt Disney Co. recently laid off all employees in its consumer experiences unit, which was responsible for its metaverse strategies, as part of a company-wide restructuring effort in March 2023. It remains uncertain if Disney has completely abandoned its plans for virtual reality.
On the other hand, NYU Stern’s Center for Business and Human Rights (CBHR) emphasized the importance of a comprehensive privacy law to address the significant privacy risks associated with the growing metaverse. Despite the benefits it offers, the next phase of the internet presents unprecedented risks of privacy erosion and abuse in virtual environments, according to Mariana Olaizola Rosenblat, a policy advisor at the NYU Stern CBHR.
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