• by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, December 13, 2021

InfiniteWorld, a metaverse infrastructure platform that helps brands create and monetize digital assets and non-fungible tokens (NFTs), plans to go public in a merger with special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) Aries I Acquisition Corp. The company says it has partnered with over 75 creators and brands since its founding.  

Morgan Creek Digital, GSR, Wintermute, Blockchain Coinvestors, Bill Shihara, among others are some of its investors.

InfiniteWorld recently combined with DreamView, a team that founded and pioneered computer-generated imagery (CGI) technologies at Lucasfilm and Disney. Chief Executive Officer Yonathan Lapchik, a Deloitte Blockchain Lab veteran and co-creator of SUKU, and Chief Operating Officer Nathaniel Hunter, a visionary leader and creator in the CGI and 3D content production space and former CEO of DreamView, will lead the combined company.

Software algorithms built into the metaverse will begin to change the advertising industry in 2022 through the same tactics being used to build platforms for virtual meetings and tools for schools. The software algorithms that track movements will become a mechanism for targeting ads in these virtual worlds through consented zero-party data. It won't be long before we see high-dollar brands like Dolce & Gabbana latch on to this technology and allow consumers to shop inside their world.

Marketers looking to get a glimpse into the future need only read Microsoft Co-founder Bill Gate’s annual blog in which he writes about his vision for virtual meetings and education in the metaverse, and the role algorithms will play.

Because software algorithms track movements, those same tactics will be used in advertising — especially when it comes to targeting ads within these virtual worlds. Entering a virtual world gives the company consent to use zero-party data.

While it’s not clear whether Microsoft’s metaverse will be integrated into Teams, the company’s video communication tool, or a completely separate platform to which it links, one thing is certain — Gates believes the future of education and work will reside in a virtual world that looks very similar to gaming.

“Within the next two or three years, I predict most virtual meetings will move from 2D camera image grids — which I call the Hollywood Squares model, although I know that probably dates me — to the metaverse, a 3D space with digital avatars,” Gates wrote.

Facebook and Microsoft recently reviled their visions, which gave most people their first view of what it will look like. It will be interesting to see if companies gain the same performance from using software that resembles a computer game.

The idea is people will use an avatar to meet with others in a virtual space that replicates the feeling of being in a room with them. The participant will need virtual reality goggles and motion capture gloves to capture expressions, body language, and the quality of their voice. Things most people don’t earn yet.

Adoption of Zoom, Teams, and Google Meet caught on quickly during the past couple of years with the onset of COVID-19 because people already had camera’s on their computers to make the transition from live to virtual.

Microsoft in 2022 plans to roll out a version that uses the computer’s webcam to animate an avatar used in the current 2D set-up. It aims to quicken adoption rates until hardware adoption ramps up.

Gates also believes the metaverse will become a new tool for schools, but it will depend on kids having access to the technology and internet at home.

“The intention is that these new tools will supplement classroom learning rather than replace it,” Gates wrote. “(If there’s one thing the last two years made clear, it’s that many kids — especially younger ones — don’t do well sitting in front of a screen doing classwork all day.)”

Algorithms in the software will give students immediate feedback while they do their work online. The content will be more interactive and personalized, helping kids focus on areas in which they need more help.

Teachers will gain a deeper understanding of how students are doing, as a button click will show the teacher that student X might need more help on a particular type of question while telling the teacher that student Y is ready to take on a more advanced reading assignment.