Building Responsible Metaverse
Feng Liu · IntechOpen eBooks · 2025
The metaverse is emerging as the next major online platform where people can conduct daily activities in three-dimensional (3D), immersive, and intuitive environments. Current development efforts focus on replicating real-world settings and experiences through 3D technologies and artificial intelligence (AI); however, the integration of virtual and physical worlds raises critical challenges. A central concern is how to ensure that the metaverse complements, rather than replaces, real-world human experiences. Equally important is the need to embed moral and ethical principles into virtual environments to promote positive outcomes in real life. This chapter explores both the opportunities and risks of an AI-driven metaverse, with a particular focus on the younger generation, who are most vulnerable to its effects. Using one of the top metaverse platforms, Roblox, as a case study, the chapter begins by examining potential negative impacts of virtual environments with insufficiently rigorous design, then presents key considerations for building a responsible metaverse that encourages connections to the physical world, supports balanced engagement with the virtual world through healthy disconnection, and integrates psychological principles into user experience (UX) design. The chapter concludes with a suggested checklist for integrating psychological principles and AI into metaverse UX design to promote responsible and sustainable virtual worlds in our daily lives.