Virtual Persona / Avatar
Representation and control distinct from natural person
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
3 bundles · 3 layers · 5 findings · 10 questions
Representation How the persona appears.
Appearance and name
Visual form, display name and voice.
Presented identity
The name, appearance and voice the persona presents.
- What display name, appearance and voice does the persona present?
- Does the persona resemble a real, identifiable person?
Likeness rights
Rights in any real person's likeness or voice used.
- If the persona uses a real person's likeness or voice, is there consent from that person?
- Who holds the rights in the persona's design?
Control Who stands behind the persona.
Controller and agency
The controller and whether a human or an AI system acts.
Accountable controller
The person or organization accountable for the persona's actions.
- Which account and which person or organization controls this persona?
- Can the controller be identified by the platform if required by law?
Automation disclosure
Whether the persona is operated by an AI system and if this is disclosed.
- Is the persona operated by a human, an AI system or both?
- Is automated operation disclosed to the people who interact with it?
Lifecycle and portability How the persona persists across platforms and time.
Platforms and transfer
Platforms where the persona exists and transfers of control.
Presence and transfer
Platforms used and changes of controller.
- On which platforms or environments does the persona exist?
- Has control of the persona been transferred, sold or inherited?
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- World Models
- Category
- Information and virtual systems
- Entry kind
- standalone-mm
- Navigation path
- NAV.INF.VRT.AVT
- Domain
- INF.VRT.AVT
- Industry
- Cross-industry
- Tags
- virtualpersonaavatarinf.vrt.avt
What it is Filled
A virtual persona or avatar is a representation through which a person, organization or software agent appears and acts in a digital environment, with its own appearance, name and behaviour. It is distinct from the natural person and from the account behind it: one person may control many personas, and a persona may be controlled by an AI system rather than a human.
Why it exists Filled
Representation and control distinct from natural person
Distinguishing features Filled
- It is a representation, not the natural person; legal rights and duties stay with the controller.
- It differs from an online account, which is the access credential a persona may use.
- A persona can be controlled by a human, by an AI system or by both.
- It differs from a 3D asset, which is only the visual model a persona may wear.
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Present an AI-operated persona as a human when asked or where disclosure is required.
- Create or operate a persona that imitates a real person without consent.
- Use personas to fake independent opinions or reviews.
- Treat a persona as a legal person that can hold rights or consent on its own.
Only with a human decision
- Creating a persona based on a real person's likeness or voice.
- Transferring control of a persona to another party.
- Suspending or deleting a persona for impersonation.
May
- Operate a persona on behalf of its controller within platform rules.
- Disclose that a persona is AI-operated when interacting with people.
- Record controller, platforms and transfers of a persona.
- Report personas that impersonate real people.
Moral aspects Filled
- Undisclosed AI personas can deceive people into trusting a machine as a human.
- Personas that copy real people can harm their reputation and dignity.
- Personas give people freedom of self-expression and privacy that should be respected.
Who is affected
- People interacting with personas
- Controllers and users of personas
- People whose likeness or voice is copied
- Platform operators
Owners Filled
Steward
The controller of the persona, with the operator of the platform holding the account and enforcing platform rules.
Master systems
- Platform account and profile systems
- Virtual world and game servers
- Identity providers
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- WM-PER-003
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- A persona is identified by a platform-specific identifier or handle, linked to the controlling account.
- Across platforms it may be linked by decentralized identifiers or verified profile links where used.
Direct properties not applicable Not applicable
Not applicable
A virtual persona exists only as a digital representation and has no physical properties to measure.
Recognition optional Filled
- A persona is recognized by its display name, visual appearance and handle on a platform.
- Often confused with the natural person behind it, with the account or with a generic chatbot interface.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- Can communicate, act and transact in digital environments on behalf of its controller.
- Can be operated by a human, by an AI system or by both.
- Can move between platforms where formats and policies allow.
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Impersonation and fraud using personas that mimic real people.
- Deception when AI operation is not disclosed.
- Coordinated inauthentic behaviour through many personas run by one controller.
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- glTF for exchanging 3D avatar models.
- W3C Decentralized Identifiers for portable persona identity.
- Platform terms and transparency rules for AI-operated personas.
Context of use required Filled
- Used in games, virtual worlds, social media, customer service and virtual events.
- In the EU, the AI Act requires disclosure when people interact with an AI system unless it is obvious.
Sources Filled
- Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 (Artificial Intelligence Act), European Union
- Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) v1.0, W3C
- glTF 2.0 (ISO/IEC 12113), Khronos Group
Open questions
- Planned model: boundary questions, research and every section remain to be written.
Machine files
Provenance
planned (registry candidate) · todo
Built from: models/runtime-index.json, ver-cy/world-models/card-supplements/wm-vrt-008-virtual-persona-avatar.json
Planned entry, hidden from the catalogue until researched.