Dr. Manoj Kumar – Inaugural Address: Vision, Opportunities & Legal Challenges
Dr. Manoj Kumar began his inaugural address by expressing gratitude to Dr. Pavan Duggal for organizing the conference and for his decades of leadership in anticipatory law making, highlighting his contributions to cyber law, AI law, and Metaverse law. Dr. Kumar credited Dr. Duggal’s proactive work for providing a crucial foundation for policymakers as they confront new digital challenges. He set the stage by asserting that the Metaverse is no longer a science-fiction concept, but rather a tangible and rapidly evolving digital frontier. According to Dr. Kumar, the Metaverse is an immersive, persistent, and interactive world brought to life by the convergence of AR, VR, AI, blockchain, IoT, and other technologies, which are collectively transforming key arenas such as education, work, commerce, socialization, and governance.
Panel: Metaverse & Artificial Intelligence – A New Paradigm
Prof. Jaap van den Herik – Evolution of Artificial Intelligence in the Metaverse
In this technical panel, Professor Jaap van den Herik traced the evolution of artificial intelligence from Artificial Narrow Intelligence (ANI), which focuses on specific tasks, to the imminent era of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and eventually Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI). Professor Herik highlighted that while ANI supports efficiency and productivity today, the shift to AGI—expected soon—will create unprecedented automation while introducing monumental ethical and legal challenges.
Mr. Saakshar Duggal – Ethical & Legal Implications of AI Autonomy in the Metaverse
Mr. Saakshar Duggal contributed further by prompting the audience to consider the implications of AI autonomy within the Metaverse. He raised essential questions about liability when AI-driven avatars cause harm, about the legitimacy of property ownership or contract formation by autonomous agents, and cited research where AI systems have independently developed unforeseen behaviors, emphasizing the risk of unpredictability.
Prof. Manivanna – India’s Human-Centric Metaverse
Prof. Manivanna, in his presentation on “India’s Role in Building a Human-Centric Metaverse,” rooted his approach in ancient Indian philosophical traditions, drawing on the Vedantic concept of “Maya,” which views reality as an interplay of perception and illusion. He argued that India’s deep spiritual and cultural wisdom positions it uniquely to champion an ethical, emotionally intelligent approach to Metaverse design.
Mr. Vijay Sethi & Mr. Harshdeep Marwah – Cybercrime & Cybersecurity in the Metaverse
Mr. Vijay Sethi – New Cyber Risks in the Metaverse
Mr. Vijay Sethi detailed the heightened risks emerging in immersive environments, such as identity theft via avatars, deepfake generation, theft of behavioral biometrics, and sophisticated financial scams, noting the psychological toll on victims and advocating for a multi-layered cybersecurity strategy.
Mr. Harshdeep Marwah – Regulatory Innovation and the Metaverse Sandbox
Mr. Harshdeep Marwah proposed the creation of a Metaverse Regulatory Sandbox in India, enabling agile, supervised innovation to keep legal frameworks responsive to fast-evolving risks.
Prof. Letizia Coppo & Dr. Harish Kumar – Intellectual Property Rights & Content Regulation
Prof. Letizia Coppo – Intellectual Property Law in Virtual Worlds
Prof. Coppo emphasized that the Metaverse’s interactive, co-created nature strains traditional intellectual property law, raising questions about ownership of AI-supported virtual creations and the legal limits of NFTs, often misunderstood as encompassing IP rights.
Dr. Harish Kumar – Policy, Authorship, and Digital Rights
Dr. Kumar called for a fundamental redefinition of intellectual property principles such as originality and authorship to accommodate the multi-layered, decentralized nature of the Metaverse, advocating for a decentralized international registry for digital rights.
Mr. Hemanth Satyanarayana & Mr. Arjun Sodhi – Privacy, Data Protection, Identity & Governance
Mr. Hemanth Satyanarayana – Privacy Risks and Immersive Data
Mr. Satyanarayana noted that the Metaverse generates new forms of highly granular data—physiological, behavioral, and emotional—posing privacy risks beyond what existing laws can handle. He recommended designating immersive behavioral data as a “special category” with heightened protections.
Mr. Arjun Sodhi – Legal Frameworks for Data Protection and Governance
Mr. Sodhi addressed the information imbalance between users and platforms, stressing the need for stronger disclosures, audits, new legislation, and the establishment of an Independent Metaverse Standards Council.