EU Announces 'Web4' Plans

The European Commission (EC) has announced its new strategy for "web4 and virtual worlds." The goal is to create an online space that represents EU values and principles. 

Commissioner Thierry Breton stated that the plan includes investing in new technologies and educating people to use virtual worlds confidently.

Web4 is described by the EC as a blend of artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things, blockchain, virtual worlds, and augmented reality. It goes beyond web3, the current internet generation, to integrate digital and real objects and improve interactions between humans and machines.

The EC's plan aims tosupport local web4 businesses and set global regulatory standards. A program called the Partnership on Virtual Worlds under Horizon Europe will assist EU enterprises. The focus is to create a technological roadmap for virtual worlds.

The strategy also outlines new web4 initiatives for public authorities, such as an immersive urban environment (CitiVerse) for city planning, and the European Virtual Human Twin for medical decisions and treatments. Other projects, like Destination Earth and Local Digital Twins, will help authorities make informed policy decisions. 

The EC is worried that EU technology might lag behind the U.S. and China. The report highlights U.S. companies such as Meta, Apple, Microsoft, and Nvidia, and Chinese companies like Alibaba and Bytedance, all developing metaverse technologies. The EU may not have tech giants to lead investment in virtual worlds, but it has strong research and innovation capabilities in middleware and software.

Reported by Coinpaprika