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Identifying Key Factors to Distinguish Artificial and Human Avatars in the Metaverse: Insights from Software Practitioners

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Systems, Software and Services Process Improvement (EuroSPI 2023)

Part of the book series: Communications in Computer and Information Science ((CCIS,volume 1890))

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Abstract

The Metaverse comprises a network of interconnected 3D virtual worlds, poised to become the primary gateway for future online experiences. These experiences hinge upon the use of avatars, participants' virtual counterparts capable of exhibiting human-like non-verbal behaviors, such as gestures, walking, dancing, and social interaction. Discerning between human and artificial avatars becomes crucial as the concept gains prominence. Advances in artificial intelligence have facilitated the creation of virtual human-like entities, underscoring the importance of distinguishing between virtual agents and human characters. This paper investigates the factors differentiating human and virtual participants within the Metaverse environment. A semi-structured interview approach was employed, with data collected from software practitioners (N = 10). Our preliminary findings indicate that response speed, adaptability to unforeseen events, and recurring scenarios play significant roles in determining whether an entity in the virtual world is a human or an intelligent agent.

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Acknowledgement

This research is supported in part by SFI, Science Foundation Ireland (https://www.sfi.ie/) grant No SFI 13/RC/2094 P2 to–Lero - the Science Foundation Ireland Research Centre for Software.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Informatics Institute, Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey

    Osman Tahsin Berktaş & Murat Yılmaz

  2. Faculty of Engineering, Department of Computer Engineering, Gazi University, Ankara, Turkey

    Murat Yılmaz

  3. School of Computing, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland

    Paul Clarke

  4. Lero, the Science Foundation Ireland Research Center for Software, Limerick, Ireland

    Paul Clarke

Authors
  1. Osman Tahsin Berktaş
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  2. Murat Yılmaz
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  3. Paul Clarke
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Murat Yılmaz .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Gazi University, Ankara, Türkiye

    Murat Yilmaz

  2. Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland

    Paul Clarke

  3. Grenoble Alpes University, Grenoble, France

    Andreas Riel

  4. I.S.C.N. GesmbH, Graz, Austria

    Richard Messnarz

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Berktaş, O.T., Yılmaz, M., Clarke, P. (2023). Identifying Key Factors to Distinguish Artificial and Human Avatars in the Metaverse: Insights from Software Practitioners. In: Yilmaz, M., Clarke, P., Riel, A., Messnarz, R. (eds) Systems, Software and Services Process Improvement. EuroSPI 2023. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 1890. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-42307-9_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-42307-9_8

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-42306-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-42307-9

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