News

Governance of Web 4.0 and Virtual Worlds

Published on | 10 months ago

Programmes
Digital, Industry & Space AI Continent

The European Commission outlined their vision at the Global Multistakeholder High Level Conference on Governance of Web 4.0 and Virtual Worlds event, emphasizing the need for open standards and global interoperability as augmented reality and digital twin technologies reshape our relationship with the physical world.

The emerging Web 4.0 environment - characterized by the convergence of 6G networks, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence - promises to fundamentally alter how humans interact with their surroundings. This evolution enables more natural interactions with digital objects embedded in physical spaces and creates opportunities for innovative services, like today predictive maintenance systems are already commonplace and digital twins become more popular and effective.

"As the boundaries between digital and physical worlds continue to blur, we must ensure the internet remains a public good accessible to everyone," an EC representative stated. Officials warned that without proper governance frameworks, Web 4.0 could fragment into isolated technological ecosystems controlled by dominant market players.

The Commission's approach aligns with Japan's pioneering work in metaverse governance. Both emphasize maintaining a single, globally interoperable internet that respects fundamental rights while allowing for regional contributions and innovation.

The EC initiative marks the beginning of a global conversation on Web 4.0 governance that aims to embrace technological innovation while addressing potential risks.

Further details can be found in the Commission's background materials available at the Digital Strategy portal. More specifially, check
- One Future Internet,  introductory document
- the other background info from the event.

myOverview - sign up for personalised information

We offer news and event updates, covering all domains and topics of Horizon Europe, Digital Europe & EDF (and occasionally, for ongoing projects, Horizon 2020).

Stay informed about what matters to you. By signing up, you can opt in for e-mail notifications and get access to a personalised dashboard that groups all news updates and event announcements in your domain(s).

Only for stakeholders located in Flanders

Latest News

1808 articles available search in articles 

Testimonial

PBNv2 - a MSCA ITN in the field of automotive R&D

The Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action (MSCA) European Innovative Training Network “PBNv2 - Next generation Pass-By Noise approaches for new powertrain vehicles” started in May 2017. Their research has the shared objective of investigating the possibilities to decrease pass-by noise of vehicles.

The project is a collaboration between 17 research institutions and companies in the European automotive R&D and provides a learning environment for 14 PhD fellows. The Belgian partner is the Noise and Vibration Research Group of KU Leuven, and this project is one of the many Horizon 2020 MSCA Innovative Training Networks that the KU Leuven research group participates in.