Mai Labs — a Cayman Islands-based Web3 company — unveiled its Mayaaverse metaverse platform in India earlier this week. The company demonstrated a platform that digitally traces India’s journey through history. Mayaaverse allows visitors to explore ancient Indian cities (such as Hastinapur) to present-day temples, modern retail outlets, as well as photo-realistic virtual venues for live artist performances. Mai Labs plans to engage content creators, brands, artists and a new generation of tech-savvy consumers and audiences into its impressive Web3 ecosystem.
Gadgets360 interviewed Mai Labs COO Ashish Minoch and CTO Khoushik Anantha to learn more about the evolution of its metaverse ecosystem and how these platforms can strike a balance between ensuring user privacy while preventing malicious activity and protecting users.
Gadgets360: How does Mayaaverse differ from Meta’s foray into the metaverse?
Ashish Minocha: Mayaaverse differs from what Mark Zuckerberg is building with Meta in several ways. Meta is developing Horizon OS, but lacked initial content, while Mayaaverse prioritizes content alongside its technology offering. Being developed in India, Mayaaverse caters more effectively to regional and cultural nuances, while the MayaaSDK and Lumyn XR headset are aimed at creators and developers.
Meanwhile, MayaaVerse is no different from the device, promoting an open and democratized virtual environment and focusing on creating highly realistic virtual environments available through mainstream hardware to be accessible to a wider audience.
Gadgets360: How do platforms like Mayaaverse strike a balance between protecting user privacy and preventing abuse?
Kaushik Ananth: We anonymize data to protect individual privacy, ensuring that personal information is not exposed and use strong encryption for data in transit and at rest. User data is stored in a dedicated and highly protected database separately from other operational data, reducing the risk of unauthorized access. Users can also view, edit or delete their information and adjust their privacy settings.
On the other hand, we designed Mayaaverse in such a way that every entry can be traced back to real human identity, through KYC. Regular security audits, ethical data practices and compliance checks help us comply with global data protection regulations while providing a personalized metaversal experience.
Gadgets360: How do photorealistic environments enhance metaverse experiences?
Kaushik Ananth: Creating photo-realistic environments for the metaverse involves creating virtual spaces that closely resemble real-world settings. This includes the use of advanced graphics rendering for realistic textures, accurate lighting with dynamic shadows and immersive surround sound. Photorealistic environments in the metaverse create a sense of presence and realism.
In addition, physical simulation plays a key role. It ensures that interactions with objects and movements within the environment behave realistically, enhancing immersion. For example, physics simulation allows objects to react to gravity, collisions, and other physical forces just as they would in the real world. This realism adds depth to virtual experiences, making them more engaging and compelling.
Gadgets360: Does Zero blockchain offer features not available on competing platforms?
Kaushik Ananth: Zero Layer Blockchain is a core blockchain protocol that does not add layers to existing structures like traditional blockchains. Instead, it optimizes the network base itself. For the Indian blockchain ecosystem, it brings increased speed of transactions, reduced delays and stronger security measures.
It also has an element of interoperability that allows different blockchain networks to work together. We have also equipped the Zero blockchain with security and compliance features required by Indian regulations.
Gadgets360: How Web3 platforms can provide a ‘safe and reliable’ ecosystem?
Kaushik Ananth: Ensuring the security and reliability of Web3 technology requires a multifaceted approach that encompasses technical, management, and regulatory considerations. This includes using encryption algorithms, adopting secure coding practices and implementing robust authentication mechanisms to mitigate the risk of unauthorized access and data breach.
KYC procedures, meanwhile, contribute significantly to building trust and credibility within the Web3 ecosystem. Platforms must also prioritize user verification and demonstrate a commitment to security and regulatory compliance. Comprehensive audits of smart contracts can also identify and correct vulnerabilities that could compromise the integrity of decentralized applications.
Gadgets360: How Mai Labs was received in India, in light of the skeptical approach to the Web3 sector
Ashish Minocha: Overall, running a Web3 business in India has been a unique experience for us. As a company, we don’t fully embrace the idealized vision of Web3 — without intermediaries or borders, where the world becomes completely permissionless.
We believe that such a world is impractical. Instead, we advocate Web H (Hybrid) or Web 2.5. We operate as an authorized ecosystem, regulated by design, combining the best of Web2 and Web3. Transparency and decentralization remain our core values.
Some answers have been condensed and slightly edited for clarity.
