The Metaverse - A Meeting Place for Machine and Man

In the world of science fiction, the idea of a virtual realm where humans and machines can interact seamlessly has long been a popular trope. However, with the rapid advancement of technology, this idea is becoming a reality. The metaverse, a term coined by science fiction author Neal Stephenson, refers to a virtual space where users can interact with each other, as well as with artificial intelligence (AI) and other forms of advanced technology.

The concept of the metaverse has been around for decades, but it is only now that the technology has caught up to make it a reality. With the advent of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies, as well as the increasing capabilities of AI, the metaverse is becoming a viable space for human-machine interaction.

I myself find the metaverse in its current form to be lacking. At the time of writing much of the hype surrounding it has died down and we are left with an empty wasteland of digital opportunities. But without users and a clear end goal this meeting place has started to shrivel up and die. The main problem is usability and the lack of people.

It was envisioned as a place where we would hang out with our friends and colleagues. Go to casual meetings and exchange ideas in a never before seen way. I’ve been to those meetings and can say that looking at a powerpoint presentation in a virtual space is much the same as in real life. And that is not even addressing all the blatant bugs and glitches.

But despite all that I’m a metaverse believer of sorts. One of the key benefits of the metaverse is that it provides a level playing field for humans and machines. In the physical world, machines are at a disadvantage because they are not able to move or interact with the environment in the same way as humans. In the metaverse, however, machines can be given a virtual body and can interact with the environment and other users in a way that is much more similar to how humans do.

Chatting with Siri, Alexa or ChatGPT would be much less awkward with a physical representation. I’m not suggesting that Alexa or Siri must take human form but a form would make them, and with a voice ChatGPT, more relatable. I imagine a sprightly floating cube emitting light and folding in on itself. A tesseract of knowledge.

In theory the metaverse is the perfect meeting place for humans in that it provides a space where users can interact with each other in ways that are not possible in the physical world. For example, users can meet and interact with people from all over the world in the metaverse, regardless of their physical location. This has the potential to break down barriers and foster greater understanding and cooperation between people from different cultures and backgrounds. But this ends at the theoretical plane.

The same problems that plague the real world are easily transported and transplanted into that of the meta world.

The metaverse is however the perfect meeting place for AI and humans. As AI becomes more advanced, it will become an increasingly important part of our lives and can smooth out the rough patches even of the metaverse.

Imagine a meeting where you and your colleagues discuss any worktopic. Having AI colleagues in the room would make it easy to get visualizations of the subject injected into the world or as a part of the discussion get vital information or feedback directly from the company’s underlying data platforms. You don’t have to switch off or look it up on the computer. It’s there in the room with you.

The metaverse is a place where the line between virtual and real life is becoming increasingly blurred. In the metaverse, users can create virtual versions of themselves and interact with others in a virtual space that feels very real. This blurring of the lines between virtual and real life will have a big impact on how we think about our identities, as well as how we interact with each other and with the ever changing machinery and algorithms around us.

As technology (both the means to visualize and AI) continues to advance, the metaverse will become an increasingly important part of our lives, providing a level playing field for humans and machines, as well as a space where we can interact with other fellow humans in ways that are not possible in the physical world. With the metaverse, we are entering a new era of human-machine interaction that will shape the way we live and work for years to come.