Dinis Guarda interviews Cai Felip, the CEO of Union Avatars, a digital identity platform, in the latest episode of his YouTube podcast. While both are influencers in the field of avatars and metaverse, they discuss the importance of digital identity in the modern age of the internet and technology. The podcast is powered by Businessabc.net and citiesabc.com.
Union Avatars is a digital identity platform for creating avatars in different styles, including the hyper-realistic avatars, for social media, virtual reality environments and games. The platform has created a realistic full-body character creator tool to improve user experience within virtual worlds and the metaverse.
The digital avatar market size was valued at USD 7.55 Billion in 2022. Growing at a CAGR of 43.7% from 2022 to 2032, the market size is expected to reach USD 283.47 Billion by 2032. Speaking about the need for digital identity, CEO, Cai Felip explains that digital identity serves as a virtual representation of oneself, enabling access to various online platforms, services, and resources while facilitating trust and accountability in digital interactions.
Speaking about the data ownership facet of digital identity, he highlights:
“Over the transition that happened during the past years, we have been losing, step by step, the ownership of our own data, in a way that it can range from specific personal data to assets that we purchase in a platform.”
He explains that in an era marked by concerns over data privacy and security breaches, a robust digital identity framework is essential for safeguarding personal information and ensuring user confidentiality. “Identity, especially now with advancements in AI, is more of a necessity: to be able to demonstrate the true existence of the personality. There are blockchain ways to demonstrate it.
I don’t think privacy is only for people involved in bad actions. Everyone should have a certain level of privacy. Sovereign identity systems are perfect examples of selection of information disclosure”, he says.
By providing a standardised and verifiable means of authentication, a digital identity not only enhances user convenience and efficiency but also lays the foundation for a more secure and inclusive digital ecosystem.
Union Avatars: Democratising the digital identity with blockchain technology
“In the real world, we don’t dress the same when we go to the gym or office. I think in the virtual world, it should be the same/ People should be free to represent themselves just the way they want. So, you have a unique control of your identity and find different ways to project it”, says Cai.
He highlights to Dinis that Union Avatars offers customisation, offering over 170 different outfits, backgrounds, profile picture options, poses, hairstyles, and other features for developers and digital fashion designers.
Through the UnionID offering by Union Labs, users can consolidate their digital identities and assets in a nested NFT, ensuring easy interoperability and portability across virtual worlds and platforms.
“At Union Avatars, we are always integrating different styles under the same profile so that you don’t have to create a different avatar everytime and have fragmented identity across multiple platforms.
A universal ecosystem for identity management is one of the most important vision we are trying to drive forward”, he says.
Integration of digital identity with AI and metaverse technologies
By merging advanced artificial intelligence algorithms with avatar technology, virtual personas can exhibit lifelike behaviors, reactions, and interactions, thereby enhancing the sense of presence and immersion within virtual environments. This convergence enables avatars to adapt dynamically to user input, environmental stimuli, and social interactions, blurring the lines between reality and virtuality.
“Driving to feed your avatar with as much information as you can to the point that you are able to create some sort of digital twin of yourself. You can manage that from a central use point-of-view, while having a decentralised way of securing information. That’s our goal. Ultimately, we want to provide a platform for users to be the owners of their own data”, says Cai.
As these technologies continue to evolve, the potential for innovative applications across gaming, entertainment, education, and beyond is virtually limitless, promising to redefine the way we connect, communicate, and engage in the digital age.
Backed by 150 companies, including Telefonica, Accenture, and Mobile World Capital Barcelona, Union Avatars has built strategic partnerships with industry leaders such as Outlier Ventures, Barcelona Activa, NVIDIA Inception Program, Metaverse Standards Forum, AWS Activate, Polkadot, and Mango Startup Studio.
"We see a lot of physical brands starting to go into digital activations to try and reach out to younger generations. We are opening a marketplace for digital designers to be able to sell these avatar assets.
I think technology is here to stay. We will not just stop at AI. Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) is something we will reach at some point. Try not to be too afraid of these technologies, but embrace them as much as we can, just to make sure there is not too much of a skill gap”, he concluded.
