The group of experts, which includes representatives from technology corporations, is tasked with building, maintaining and promoting metaverse industry standards.
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) has assembled 60 experts, including some from the country’s largest technology firms, to form a new working group to establish standards for the metaverse sector.
Representatives from telecoms equipment giant Huawei Technologies, video gaming titans Tencent Holdings and NetEase, web search and artificial intelligence champion Baidu, financial technology firm Ant Group and computer maker Lenovo Group are among those on the list published by the MIIT on Friday.
Other members include MIIT officials and researchers from Peking University, Fudan University and other renowned institutions in the country.
The MIIT proposed forming a working group in September, noting ethics and security concerns in the sector.
Besides focusing on domestic standards, the group would also “encourage local companies and institutions to deeply engage in international standard-setting activities”.
In 2022, Meta (banned and designated as extremist in Russia), Microsoft and others founded the Metaverse Standards Forum, which also comprises Huawei, Tencent and some other Chinese tech giants.
Beijing is hoping to become a leader in the emerging field. Five authorities, including the MIIT, released a joint plan last year to nurture at least three metaverse companies “with global influence” by 2025.
Source: SCMP
