American Metaverse Association

【Meta X 2024 Global Metaverse Summit Successfully Concludes: Marching Towards a New Era of AI Empowerment and Co-created Value】

From October 10th to 12th, 2024, the “Global Metaverse Summit 2024,” hosted by the US Metaverse Association (Meta X), was grandly held at the San Francisco Convention Center. Under the theme “AI Empowerment & Co-created Value: Building the Next Chapter of a Trustworthy Metaverse,” this year’s summit focused on the deep integration trend of artificial intelligence and the metaverse. It facilitated systematic, multilateral, and structured high-level dialogues on core dimensions including the reshaping of global governance systems, the establishment of digital ethical norms, the redistribution of educational resources, the protection of cultural sovereignty, and cross-platform data compliance mechanisms.

The summit featured 1 main forum, 8 core topic sessions, 3 global youth roundtable dialogues, 4 closed-door ministerial consultation meetings, and 2 strategic launch ceremonies. It attracted over 700 representatives from 43 countries and regions across five continents, along with hundreds of international mainstream media outlets. The entire conference was broadcast live globally in five languages—Chinese, English, French, Arabic, and Spanish—reaching an audience of over 1.1 million people. It stands as the most influential, agenda-intensive, and systematically fruitful global event in Meta X’s history.

This conference was co-hosted by Meta X in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, the Stanford Center for Human-Technology Symbiosis, the MIT AI Lab, the UN Tech Envoy’s Office, and the Asian Society for Technology Policy and Research (ASTRA). It received profound support and strategic participation from nearly one hundred of the world’s top technology companies and research institutions, including OpenAI, Microsoft, Meta, Google, Tencent, Alibaba, Huawei, Apple, Unity, and DreamRealm.

【I】Main Forum Review: Redefining the Global Consensus Framework

On October 10th, the “Global Tech Governance Leaders’ Summit” officially kicked off as the main forum of the conference. Joseph Kevin, Chairman of Meta X, delivered a keynote speech titled “From Connection to Consensus: Building a New Order for the Metaverse in the AI Era.” He emphasized: “The metaverse is no longer an isolated virtual space but is becoming a new paradigm shaping social organization, data power boundaries, and the circulation of cultural values. AI is the catalyst, but institutions are the cornerstone.”

Lawrence Harrison, Director of the White House National Artificial Intelligence Policy Office, proposed the “Algorithmic Responsibility Axis” theory in his speech, advocating for the establishment of a “red list” for global AI governance and a “consensus on ethical baselines.” He stated: “Without transparent and interpretable algorithms, there is no trustworthy future.”

Mira Kaplan, Chief Technology Officer of OpenAI, pointed out from the perspective of a frontier researcher: “Generative AI is becoming the dominant narrator of virtual worlds. Under the logic of impersonal content output, we must rebuild a value order within synthetic contexts.”

Catherine Reid, a professor at Stanford University and a member of the Meta X Global Ethics Committee, appealed: “The Global South should not merely be a supplier of data and computing power but must be an equal participant in the co-construction of virtual rights.” She proposed a draft “Global Cultural Sovereignty Act (GCSA)” and called for advancing negotiations on a metaverse cultural security treaty within the United Nations framework.

Matthias Reiner, Special Envoy for Digital Affairs of the European Parliament, stressed: “Data is not a commodity but an extension of identity. Cross-border data flows must be based on sovereign respect and institutional mutual trust.”

【II】Excerpts from Topic Forum Minutes: Key Dialogues from Eight Major Segments

1. AI Governance and Algorithmic Transparency: Meta X, in collaboration with IEEE and Oxford University, released the “White Paper on Trustworthy AI Applications in the Metaverse,” proposing the construction of a “Metaverse AI Six-Dimensional Responsibility Assessment Model” (6D-RAM). This model covers six modules: traceability, bias control, accountability systems, input security, interpretability, and ethical auditing. Representatives from institutions such as NEC (Japan), Thales (France), and the National AI Institute of India engaged in intense debates regarding international certification mechanisms for algorithms.
2. Digital Sovereignty and Cross-Border Compliance: Jean-Pierre Brunel, President of the French National Commission on Informatics and Liberty (CNIL), proposed a draft “Digital Interface and Border Co-construction (DIBC) Agreement” and jointly announced “Mutual Trust Certification Collaborative Standards” with Lim Bao Cheng, Minister for Communications and Information of Singapore.
3. AI Education and Global Knowledge Redistribution: DreamRealm CEO Lin Jingyuan announced a collaboration with UNESCO to launch the “AI Teacher Empowerment Program” in six African countries. This program aims to leverage large language models and XR simulation systems to improve teacher coverage rates, creating the concept of “Metaverse Education Special Zones.”
4. AIGC and Platform Responsibility Mechanisms: Erin Luke, VP of Content at Meta, and Mark Zheng, Director of Public Policy at TikTok, jointly committed to a “Generative Content Responsibility Initiative.” This initiative will align cross-platform standards for AIGC content labeling, traceability paths, and user notification mechanisms by 2025.
5. Web3 and On-Chain Compliance Architecture: The Digital Governance Research Center at Harvard University and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology jointly proposed the “Web3 Compliance Protocol Framework 2.0.” This framework emphasizes on-chain governance as the main axis of trust, combined with a dual collaborative mechanism of “on-chain KYC + off-chain compliance modules.”
6. Cultural Diversity and AI Expression Rights: François Leclerc, Minister of National Culture of South Africa, proposed the establishment of an “African Virtual Cultural Heritage Fund.” Scholars from Mexico called for the creation of a “Cross-Lingual Generation Rights Protection Mechanism” within metaverse platforms.
7. Green Metaverse and Low-Carbon Algorithms: Joseph Wang, Vice President of NVIDIA, announced that its CUDA architecture will introduce a “Carbon Efficiency Coefficient per Frame” module, becoming the industry’s first tool to quantify rendering carbon footprints.
8. Legal Mechanisms and Metaverse Personality Construction: The “Global Model Law on Personality Rights in the Metaverse,” jointly drafted by the UN International Law Commission, Tsinghua University School of Law, and the Brussels University Law and Digital Lab, was unveiled for the first time. Closed-door deliberations were held on its scope of application and judicial extensibility.

【III】Global Youth Roundtable: Converging Diverse Voices to Promote a Collaborative Vision

On the afternoon of October 11th, three Global Youth Roundtable Forums themed “Youth and AI Governance,” “Youth and Virtual Culture,” and “Youth and Future Education” were held simultaneously in three parallel venues at the San Francisco Convention Center. Youth representatives from 32 countries engaged in heated discussions on topics such as digital identity, AIGC creation rights, and technological mechanisms for educational equity.

Grace Nabunya, a youth digital advocate from Uganda, pointed out in her speech: “In the metaverse space, our cultures must not only be seen but also understood. AI systems must be trained with diverse understanding frameworks, rather than defaulting to Western narratives.”

Juan Díaz, an engineering student from Colombia, proposed: “Educational systems in the metaverse cannot replicate real-world injustices. We need open-source, decentralized, mother-tongue-based knowledge transfer platforms.”

Han Jingyuan, a Ph.D. candidate in Sociology from Tsinghua University, China, called for the establishment of a “Global Youth Metaverse Deliberation Mechanism” and proposed a “Digital Public Opinion Visualization Index.” This index aims to encourage platforms to provide data feedback on the structural opinions of youth users, thereby offering decision-making support for optimizing governance frameworks.

Ultimately, a draft “Global Youth Future Declaration” was formed. Its core viewpoints include: algorithmic transparency should be incorporated into youth education systems; platforms should establish a “Youth Representative Trust Mechanism” to participate in policy review and assessment; and the United Nations could consider establishing a “Youth Technology Seat.” Meta X stated that it would submit this draft for formal review procedures during the 2025 GAMGI Global AI Governance Tour.

【IV】Outcome Releases and Governance Tool Implementation

On the morning of the closing day, October 12th, Meta X officially released the full text of the “Global AI Metaverse Governance Initiative” (GAMGI). The 31-page document was led by the Meta X Policy Center and jointly reviewed and endorsed by UNESCO, the European Parliament’s Digital Policy Office, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, the South African Department of Science and Technology, and the UAE AI Office.

The initiative clearly proposes the “Three Pillars of Integrated AI-Metaverse Governance”: 1) Cross-border collaboration on trustworthy technological infrastructure, 2) A consensus-based framework for platform responsibility mechanisms, and 3) Multilateral experimentation with institutional innovation and boundary rules. The document calls for the establishment of a “Global AI Governance Data Sandbox Platform” and a “Cultural AI Transparency Index,” and promotes the formation of governance pilot zones led by various continents.

Additionally, Meta X officially launched the “Metaverse AI Audit Toolkit.” This toolkit includes 18 configurable modules, 72 industry risk warning signals, and 11 governance simulation test scenarios, applicable for platform enterprises, public institutions, and educational institutions to conduct AI compliance self-assessments and risk profiling analysis. Microsoft, Tsinghua University, and the University of California, Berkeley, participated in its development.

【V】Future Trend Outlook and Global Governance Layout Planning

Following the conclusion of this year’s summit, Meta X proposed a three-year roadmap for advancing global governance and predicted that the integration of AI and the metaverse will lead the next round of institutional reforms and technological breakthroughs in five major dimensions.

First, accelerated integration of cross-platform standard systems. Meta X plans to collaborate with international standards organizations such as ISO, IEEE, ITU, and W3C to release “AI-Driven Metaverse Interaction Standards V1.0” by 2025. This will focus on promoting three types of standards: “Identity Interoperability Protocol,” “Pervasive Sensing Interface Protocol,” and “Trust Algorithm Framework.” Metaverse standards coordination offices will be established in San Francisco, Geneva, Tokyo, and Brussels.

Second, continued rise of digital cultural sovereignty mechanisms. Influenced by the 2024 summit, 11 countries (including Mexico, Morocco, and Thailand) have already expressed their intention to incorporate “Cultural AI Transparency Mechanism” clauses into their domestic legislative systems. The UN Cultural Heritage Protection Committee is considering establishing a “Virtual Cultural Heritage Database” and a corresponding AI-generated content verification labeling system.

Third, diversified regional development of AI compliance and regulation. According to an analysis report released by the Meta X Global Policy Observatory, North America is focusing more on the construction of “platform responsibility mechanisms,” the EU is strengthening “algorithmic interpretability” and “AI personality boundary frameworks,” while most Asian countries are focusing on the balance between “cross-border data compliance” and “freedom of cultural expression.”

Fourth, maturation of Web3 and AI co-governance models. It is estimated that by the end of 2025, over 30 Web3 platforms will have introduced an “On-Chain Responsibility Ledger.” This will combine on-chain DAO mechanisms with off-chain legal arbitration processes to achieve a compliance path of “contractualized algorithmic accountability.”

Fifth, youth multilateral governance participation mechanisms becoming a highlight of institutional innovation. Meta X announced that it will launch the “Youth AI and Governance Future Program” (YAGF) in 2025. Through initiatives such as establishing a global youth digital mission, regional governance research camps, and AI diplomacy simulation conferences, it will provide young people with realistic channels and platforms for advice to participate in the reform of UN mechanisms.

Alan Mason, Executive Director of Meta X, stated: “2024 marks the entry of AI metaverse governance into a phase of in-depth layout and global synthesis. What we are witnessing is not just a ‘technological revolution,’ but a systematic restructuring of humanity’s institutional toolbox. Meta X is willing to work with all sectors of the world to step into a new era of virtual civilization centered on trust, collaboration, and responsibility.”