Metaverse Intelligence (METINT)

We are at the beginning of developments where the Metaverse environment, which brings together the virtual and real worlds, is becoming three-dimensional, and where studies in the field of cyber intelligence will provide intelligence platforms with vastly different functions, potentially revolutionizing our overall perspective on intelligence. This study examines the potential use of the Metaverse environment—whose initial applications we are currently experiencing in gaming, healthcare, and business—for intelligence services and its potential to create a new intelligence field, by reviewing existing literature in the intelligence domain and adopting a comparative approach. In this context, applications where virtual and real worlds intertwine in the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza, particularly targeted killing systems, are evaluated as having opened a new era for intelligence activities in the Metaverse environment.

This article focuses on how intelligence services can benefit from the Metaverse environment under the title “Metaverse Intelligence (METINT)“, used at the first time as a term in that article, the possible working principles in this new field, and the need for concept and structuring. The predictions about using technologies like artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, and Blockchain employed in the Metaverse environment under a new intelligence framework may be included in this study for the first time in this article. In this study, after first addressing the digital transformation of power, how the Metaverse environment works will be explained, and the development of Metaverse intelligence and fundamental principles thereof will be emphasized. It is concluded that metaverse progressively provides a unique environment and opportunities for the intelligence functions and the intelligence services should promptly adapt their processes, structure and platforms into that domain.

 

1. Introduction

As an idea, the metaverse has first mentioned in a science fiction written by Neal Stephenson in his novel “Snow Crash“ issued in 1992. The novel cited a future where individuals could experience themselves in a vast virtual world, conducting business, socializing, and exploring a digital domain (Mittal et al., 2023, p. 2503). Widespread awareness on Metaverse has began in 2021 with Mark Zuckerberg’s announcements (Meta, 2021). The term “Metaverse“, coined from the fusion of “meta“ (great) and “universe“, denotes a three-dimensional world. Through this evolution, virtual and physical realms are becoming increasingly intertwined, interdependent, and inseparable (Marsili, 2023). The Metaverse represents a three-dimensional virtual environment where users interact via avatars (Ritterbusch & Teichmann, 2023). It holds transformative potential to enhance our physical world through innovative, immersive experiences (Dwivedi et al., 2022). Research company Gartner predicts that by 2026, at least 25% of people will spend time in the Metaverse for work, entertainment, shopping, or education (Gartner, 2022). In the future, the Metaverse will emerge as a vast domain leveraging technologies like Web 3.0, 5/6G, the Internet of Things (IoT), augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), cloud computing, cybersecurity, blockchain, and digital currencies (Patni & Choudhury, 2024).

 

One certainty about the Metaverse is that it will evolve far faster than the physical universe. While accelerating the flow of matter, energy, and information, it will also help rectify imbalances among them and enhance stability for real-world applications. This environment, where people interact through avatars for myriad purposes, promises a structured, perpetual way of life within a three-dimensional space powered by the future internet (Mortezapour, 2025, p. 146). Two key technologies underpinning this new lifestyle are the Metaverse and artificial intelligence (AI). Their intersection carries revolutionary potential for communication across virtual worlds while offering significant opportunities for the intelligence community. Undoubtedly, the Metaverse will not only provide new methods of intelligence collection and analysis but also give rise to a new type, function, and even structure of intelligence. For this new intelligence paradigm, “Metaverse Intelligence“ (METINT) may be the most fitting term. METINT could revolutionize holistic intelligence approaches, covert operations, and propaganda efforts—potentially redefining our very understanding of intelligence.

 

With the digital transformation of national power, functions like defense and intelligence will increasingly migrate to the Metaverse. This article aims to explore the Metaverse’s potential applications for the intelligence world, drawing from its current state to establish a functional and structural framework for METINT. Key questions include: What will METINT’s conceptual framework entail? How will it integrate into existing intelligence cycles? And how will it be structured as an intelligence discipline? METINT, with its unique capabilities, could drive revolutionary changes in collection methods like HUMINT, CYBINT, COMINT, ELINT, and SIGINT. It can influence covert operations and psychological warfare. It mayas well influence covert operations and psychological warfare—for instance, by generating mass fear through engineered hallucinations. Targeted assassination campaigns, as seen in Ukraine and Gaza currently, could adopt even more innovative methods via fabricated entities within the Metaverse.

 

To gain a comprehensive understanding of the Metaverse and its implications for intelligence services, the research methodology was primarily desk-based and comparative. It involved the review of both scientific literature and informal sources not originally written for intelligence studies such as academic reports and commercial papers. The interdisciplinary nature of the Metaverse required the adoption of a multifaceted research approach, combining intelligence literature, disruptive technologies, and computer science, especially from the area of requirements engineering.
 

The study adopted a qualitative methodology to analyze metaverse environment and how to use that for future scenarios use cases, helping to forecast the potential challenges and opportunities for intelligence services. This study will first examine relevant technologies, then address the digital transformation of national power and AI’s contributions to intelligence, before focusing on the Metaverse’s nature and implementation. Finally, we will propose an intelligence framework for the Metaverse, explore data engineering within it, and identify clues for how intelligence agencies might leverage this space.
 

It is employed a systematic approach to gather relevant papers involving multiple steps. Firstly, an extensive literature was conducted review using various academic databases, including but not limited to IEEE Xplore, ACM Digital Library, ScienceDirect, Springer Nature, Web of Science, CSIS, Gartner, Meta, Human Rights Watch, and Google Scholar. Publications were included if they were written in English, published between 2017 and 2025, and addressed the Metaverse, intelligence, artificial intelligence, digital transformation, or data engineering. These platforms are widely recognized for their comprehensive coverage of scholarly articles in the field of intelligence studies, computer science and artificial intelligence. Based on initial searches, a substantial number of papers were obtained, totaling approximately 56 across the different databases. These papers were then subjected to a systematic screening process to filter out irrelevant or duplicated studies. The inclusion criteria for our analysis encompassed papers that focused on the application of AI technologies within the Metaverse context and explored the use of intelligence services.