Ethical Foundations of AI-Driven Avatars in the Metaverse for Innovation and User Privacy
The rapid proliferation of AI-powered avatars in the Metaverse is fundamentally transforming user interactions through unprecedented levels of realism and personalization. However, these advances also introduce critical ethical and legal dilemmas surrounding privacy, identity theft, algorithmic bias...
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IEEE
2025-01-01
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| Online Access: | https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11082154/ |
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| author | Ammar Almomani Ahmad Al-Qerem Mohammad Alauthman Amjad Aldweesh Samer Aoudi Said A. Salloum |
| author_facet | Ammar Almomani Ahmad Al-Qerem Mohammad Alauthman Amjad Aldweesh Samer Aoudi Said A. Salloum |
| author_sort | Ammar Almomani |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The rapid proliferation of AI-powered avatars in the Metaverse is fundamentally transforming user interactions through unprecedented levels of realism and personalization. However, these advances also introduce critical ethical and legal dilemmas surrounding privacy, identity theft, algorithmic bias, and data governance. This study employs a comprehensive multimethodological approach combining systematic literature review, regulatory gap analysis, and ethical framework synthesis. Our methodology integrates qualitative analysis of primary sources, comparative assessment of international legal frameworks (GDPR, CCPA, EU,AI Act), and development of a five pillar ethical framework validated through real-world case studies across educational, commercial, and healthcare Metaverse applications. Building on these insights, we propose an ethical framework emphasizing transparency, fairness, accountability, privacy by design, and user autonomy. We then examine practical solutions such as blockchain-based identity management, privacy tools, regulatory sandboxes, and global standards harmonization. Through computational simulation of representative Metaverse environments, we explore how stakeholders can apply these guidelines to balance innovation with user protection. Finally, we explore future directions, including integrating brain computer interfaces (BCIs), emotion detection, quantum-resistant cryptography, and international governance models. Validation through case study analysis demonstrates significant improvements in privacy protection metrics, substantial reduction in identity theft vulnerabilities, and marked enhancement in user autonomy controls compared to existing frameworks. Our proposed blockchain-based identity management shows effective prevention of deepfake avatar creation while maintaining high user experience satisfactio. By proactively embracing ethical and legal safeguards, we envision a Metaverse where AI-driven avatars deliver transformative experiences while upholding individual rights and societal well-being. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3eb422f2bfad4ef08900783b396eb8b7 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2169-3536 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IEEE |
| record_format | Article |
| series | IEEE Access |
| spelling | doaj-art-3eb422f2bfad4ef08900783b396eb8b72025-08-20T03:58:41ZengIEEEIEEE Access2169-35362025-01-011313061013062810.1109/ACCESS.2025.358971411082154Ethical Foundations of AI-Driven Avatars in the Metaverse for Innovation and User PrivacyAmmar Almomani0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8808-6114Ahmad Al-Qerem1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2187-6194Mohammad Alauthman2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0319-1968Amjad Aldweesh3https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9358-1323Samer Aoudi4https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3887-0119Said A. Salloum5Department of Computer Information Science, Higher Colleges of Technology, Sharjah, United Arab EmiratesComputer Science Department, Faculty of Information Technology, Zarqa University, Zarqa, JordanDepartment of Information Security, University of Petra, Amman, JordanCollege of Computing and Information Technology, Shaqra University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Computer Information Science, Higher Colleges of Technology, Sharjah, United Arab EmiratesSchool of Computing, Skyline University College, Sharjah, United Arab EmiratesThe rapid proliferation of AI-powered avatars in the Metaverse is fundamentally transforming user interactions through unprecedented levels of realism and personalization. However, these advances also introduce critical ethical and legal dilemmas surrounding privacy, identity theft, algorithmic bias, and data governance. This study employs a comprehensive multimethodological approach combining systematic literature review, regulatory gap analysis, and ethical framework synthesis. Our methodology integrates qualitative analysis of primary sources, comparative assessment of international legal frameworks (GDPR, CCPA, EU,AI Act), and development of a five pillar ethical framework validated through real-world case studies across educational, commercial, and healthcare Metaverse applications. Building on these insights, we propose an ethical framework emphasizing transparency, fairness, accountability, privacy by design, and user autonomy. We then examine practical solutions such as blockchain-based identity management, privacy tools, regulatory sandboxes, and global standards harmonization. Through computational simulation of representative Metaverse environments, we explore how stakeholders can apply these guidelines to balance innovation with user protection. Finally, we explore future directions, including integrating brain computer interfaces (BCIs), emotion detection, quantum-resistant cryptography, and international governance models. Validation through case study analysis demonstrates significant improvements in privacy protection metrics, substantial reduction in identity theft vulnerabilities, and marked enhancement in user autonomy controls compared to existing frameworks. Our proposed blockchain-based identity management shows effective prevention of deepfake avatar creation while maintaining high user experience satisfactio. By proactively embracing ethical and legal safeguards, we envision a Metaverse where AI-driven avatars deliver transformative experiences while upholding individual rights and societal well-being.https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11082154/MetaverseAI-driven avatarsdata privacyethical frameworksuser autonomyblockchain |
| spellingShingle | Ammar Almomani Ahmad Al-Qerem Mohammad Alauthman Amjad Aldweesh Samer Aoudi Said A. Salloum Ethical Foundations of AI-Driven Avatars in the Metaverse for Innovation and User Privacy IEEE Access Metaverse AI-driven avatars data privacy ethical frameworks user autonomy blockchain |
| title | Ethical Foundations of AI-Driven Avatars in the Metaverse for Innovation and User Privacy |
| title_full | Ethical Foundations of AI-Driven Avatars in the Metaverse for Innovation and User Privacy |
| title_fullStr | Ethical Foundations of AI-Driven Avatars in the Metaverse for Innovation and User Privacy |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ethical Foundations of AI-Driven Avatars in the Metaverse for Innovation and User Privacy |
| title_short | Ethical Foundations of AI-Driven Avatars in the Metaverse for Innovation and User Privacy |
| title_sort | ethical foundations of ai driven avatars in the metaverse for innovation and user privacy |
| topic | Metaverse AI-driven avatars data privacy ethical frameworks user autonomy blockchain |
| url | https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/11082154/ |
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