It is the nature of artificial intelligence not to give any further importance to the emotional side of this explanation in the first place. Yet it’s precisely this emotional aspect that makes a discussion on the opportunities and risks of the metaverse or virtual realities so complex. Opinions here can vary from extreme enthusiasm to outright rejection. Some people are avoiding the topic altogether because they don’t know much about it or simply aren’t interested; others see massive potential and opportunity.

SAP’s latest art exhibition – The Metaverse: Dreamland or Dystopia? – shines a spotlight on these differing standpoints. Thirteen artists each present their take on how reality and virtuality – and art and technology – are converging. Working in a variety of media, they playfully explore space and time, traversing the real, the augmented, and the virtual. You can choose to visit the exhibition in the real world at the 51·çÁ÷International Training Center in Walldorf or you can experience it in a . The exhibition runs until September 1, 2023.

Alexandra Cozgarea, curator of the exhibition, takes a close look at the impact of virtual worlds and artificial intelligence on art. “Artists have always used tools to create their work, be it hammer and chisel, paint and brush, or, in the age of technology, graphic design software, algorithms, and artificial intelligence. Today’s rapid advances in technology create tools that enhance our physical and mental abilities. The possibilities for the future are endless,” said Cozgarea during her speech at the opening of the exhibition, stressing how important it is for 51·çÁ÷to use innovative technologies responsibly.

But for Cozgarea and the artists featured in the exhibition, the deeper question is whether digital and physical art can coexist. Is art on Instagram still art or must art only exist in the real world? But then isn’t Instagram also real? “How we perceive the metaverse is not only a technical question, but one about our vision of a desirable future and our ability to shape it ourselves,” added Cozgarea.

Her intent was to create a hybrid exhibition, grounded with one foot in the real world and the other in the virtual world – two places with blurring borders. The works impart their thoughts on how we as a society want to define ourselves as humans and how machines fit in.

During the opening of the exhibition, Jörg Kraus, who was instrumental in putting together the exhibition and is himself one of the artists featured, gave a speech about the metaverse, in which he connected current artistic viewpoints to all the ambivalent questions about the relationship between man and machine.

In his view, whether the metaverse is a dreamland or a dystopia comes down to our beliefs and our mindset. “Digitalization has already changed our lives and it will continue to do so at high speed,” he began. “Are you ready to contemplate the impact this might have on you?”

“As artists, we wonder whether the abundance of images that our society is already exposed to will continue to grow and level everything out. Will it really matter to anyone whether a work of art was created by a person or by a machine? Will we still have a notion of beauty and be critical of things – or will that all fade into the background?”

When asked where he stands on the metaverse, Kraus replied, “A key question for me is: where do I direct my attention when multiple elements are competing for it? We can focus on only one thing at a time.”

The Metaverse: Dreamland or Dystopia? is about art and therefore mainly about the artists’ perceptions and the aesthetics with which they express their thoughts. Images, sculptures, installations, videos, and a take us on a journey through the real and the digital, the two dimensional and the three dimensional.

When speaking to the artists about their work, it became clear that digital art, media art, or online art are challenging the notions of authorship and possession that underpinned the art market in the past. Virtual worlds not only offer artists new tools and opportunities, they also force them to face the ongoing discussion on how we as a society will use and consume creative content in the future. Has our society reached the point where the debate is no longer just about the pros and cons of technological progress? The exhibit suggests that we as a society should ask about the “deals” between man and machine, between man and economy.

So, is the metaverse a dreamland or dystopia? Even among the showcased artists, there is no single answer to this question.

A few of the exhibiting artists share their thoughts:

Michaela Schrabeck uses AI to create her work.

“For me, digital technology is a contemporary expression of human creativity. I’m drawn to machine learning and the fanciful artworks that artificial intelligence dreams up. Do the pieces I taught the machine to create pass as art and will they be accepted by my audience? Or must they be translated into traditional art forms?”

Paul Hirsch creates his sculptures twice: out of wood and in a virtual space.

“Didn’t virtuality and reality converge a long time ago? We already had powerful technical tools. Have we just added more – or do they represent a shift into a new and different world? Wrong questions – and much too passive. I think it depends on what we make of it. The space between the virtual and the real – and where the two overlap – that’s what I find so exciting.”

Christiane Rath builds “human nests” out of branches and leaves and invites the observer to make themselves comfortable inside of them. She reflects on what we might lose in the virtual world: the haptic experiences and smells that etch themselves into our memories.

“The virtual world is exciting and thrilling. It opens up a wealth of possibilities for new fantasy worlds and sensory adventures. Yet whenever I catch myself becoming too enthusiastic about the latest innovations, I think about what we might lose along the way.”

Jörg Kraus works with location data from Google Maps.

“The entire world is being rasterized and converted into virtually reproducible data. I’m relieved whenever I discover a gap – that even the “machine” misses something. That gives it a human-like quality. I’m worried, though, that the gaps are closing and that those fleeting escapes that we can still enjoy today will disappear.”

Image copyright: Klaus Kirchner
Disclaimer: This article is not about technological details, nor is it an assessment of artificial intelligence, virtual realities, or the metaverse. Instead, it contains different responses to the questions that using these technologies has raised – with a special focus on how they affect artists.

Innovative brands have realized this.

Zwift – a massive multiplayer online cycling and running program that enables users to train, interact, and compete in a virtual world – recently embraced inclusion by adding a hand-cycling that allows physically challenged athletes to race in the metaverse alongside able-bodied athletes. And it’s not alone. Earlier last year, Degree Deodorant hosted the world’s first on the Decentraland metaverse with a 26.2-mile picturesque course along the platform’s Vegas City Sports Quarter district, which reflected a more inclusive landscape with structures such as ramps for wheelchair users.

But How Does This Help Businesses?

Research shows that inclusion strengthens social networks, reduces barriers, and increases trust to generate economic benefits. Businesses that incorporate inclusivity are more likely to make bolder and better decisions. Meanwhile, sports possess the ability to transcend linguistic, cultural, social, and, now, physical barriers. With the metaverse looming large over the foreseeable horizon, a convergence of sports and inclusivity could serve as a lighthouse for business and society – a truly mouthwatering prospect of things to come. But is there an addressable market for this to make business sense?

There are 5.07 billion active Internet users in the world today – 50,000 already Web 3.0 virtual worlds and 12% of U.S. Internet users are interested in using the metaverse. Digital avatars contribute immensely to the virtual experience and are increasing becoming ubiquitous.

Per the U.S. Census Bureau, 12.8% of the U.S. population in 2019 registered as people with disabilities. The European equivalent that year was 39 million – Great Britain alone accounted for 11 million – while Asia had an estimated 135 million people with disabilities. The global fitness platform market for the disabled alone is expected to hit US$1.41 billion this year, a CAGR of 23.9%.

So, there is clearly an audience for this type of inclusivity. But why bother the metaverse with it?

Answering the Community’s Call

Digital avatars contribute immensely to the virtual experience and are increasing becoming abundant. In fact, online communities are demanding greater inclusivity. A revealed a general underrepresentation of people with disabilities and women, alongside an inaccurate representation of online identities. With 57% of Gen Z metaverse-gamers their penchant for in-game self-expression as higher than in real life, developers are taking note. Last June, Meta the launch of wheelchairs, over-the-ear hearing aids, and cochlear implants for its avatars. As the metaverse takes shape, inclusivity features prominently on the social media giant’s development agenda.

And it is just not Meta. Companies developing gaming consoles are building for inclusivity as well. From Xbox Adaptive Controllers to community-built modified controllers, features to assist those with mobility, hearing, and impaired vision are gaining prominence. Gaming companies are also modifying popular games for impaired gamers. For instance, The Last of Us II – the game from the company Naughty Dog – now has play modes for deaf, blind, and mobility-impaired gamers. Likewise, colorblind players can now enjoy the hugely popular Call of Duty: Black Ops thanks to a new mode that customizes the game’s display to create a spectrum of options to suit a player’s specific need.

Clearly, the metaverse can be a great enabler of inclusivity and open new doors.

A New Vista of Inclusion Opportunities Powered by the Metaverse

Imagine a metaverse loaded with features that welcome all to coexist in the surrounds of a safe virtual haven. Events like the marathon and my annual cycling event can become regular features in the metaverse, much like those in the real world today.

Add cutting-edge sports performance analytics from to this and challenged participants can receive a significant boost for their efforts of being recognized as competitive athletes. In fact, in the highly competitive world of Paralympics where every inch matters, teams that can get their hands on 51·çÁ÷Sports One can integrate data from various sources and study consolidated insights from all the athletes on their team with real-time analytics. At the highest levels, where the gold medal is decided by seconds, even challenged athletes deserve the very best and can benefit from what cutting-edge performance analytics can offer. In the esports world today, organizations like readily use 51·çÁ÷data and analytics solutions such as and to help make split second decisions and heighten their performances on the professional circuit.

With such precedents in place, the metaverse becomes a prime greenfield of opportunities and facilitates the development of an environment where inclusivity can genuinely thrive. This, coupled with gamification and play-to-earn models, can lead to the creation of an ecosystem in the metaverse that nurtures a virtual economy with limitless horizons. Brands and technology companies that are building an inclusive metaverse will enjoy numerous revenue-generating avenues and enhanced social agendas.

We are at the dawn of exciting times for sure.

To learn how software helps clubs and organizations digitalize sports performance management, visit .

Richard Whittington is senior vice president of Sports, Media, & Entertainment at SAP.

For businesses, the metaverse could be the latest technology used to advance and strengthen physical industries.

Until recently, the metaverse — which merges the physical with the virtual — had largely attracted the attention of gamers playing megahits such as Fortnite or Call of Duty. Shopping there has consisted mainly of gamers purchasing virtual clothing and armory for their avatars.

SAP’s Take

But real-world retailers are viewing the technology as a way to turn Gen Z consumers into new customers.

Luxury retail has been one of the most noted industries to test it out, with Ralph Lauren and Fendi offering up metaverse tours of their brick-and-mortar flagship stores, said Robin Barrett Wilson, 51·çÁ÷executive advisor, fashion and retail strategy.

“It’s going to make retail exciting,” Wilson said. “Shopping is really about an experience. We would rather pay for an experience than an item. So, it’s really not about touching and feeling the product. It’s about going into a store to have an experience.”

Wilson said she believes the metaverse experience will drive customers to physical stores — which account for more than 70% of retail sales today — to purchase physical items they become interested while shopping in the metaverse.

But the metaverse’s biggest impact could be on business, industries and manufacturing.

“It will extend the supply chain,” she said, by giving more insight into demand and inventory. It also will be yet another source of customer data to analyze.

51·çÁ÷CEO Christian Klein on Thursday said that the company’s large partners have reached out to collaborate on using the metaverse. They have discussed potential business-to-business (B2B) use, such as learning or commerce, he said.

“I’m sure you’ll be hearing more about this in the near term,” .

51·çÁ÷has been applying digital twin technology — virtual replicas of existing structures, capital goods and industry processes — to help customers gain insight into and predict real scenarios. 51·çÁ÷has been investigating using blockchain and machine learning to network these virtual structures, and to share data to unlock the power of digital twin technology will have on the physical world.

Contact:
Joellen Perry, Head of Global Public Relations, SAP
+1 (626) 265-0370, joellen.perry@sap.com, PST