Davos : “We do not want a Balkanisation of the metaverse”. That was the message from Nick Clegg, president of global affairs at Meta, who is among a number of high-powered tech executives in Davos this year.
His message at a round-table to discuss Meta’s priorities — in line with the World Economic Forum’s title for this year’s annual meeting: “Co-operation in a Fragmented World” — is fitting. He called for large tech companies and governments to work together to ensure interoperability between different versions of the metaverse that remains under development.
“We are at the foothills of the foothills of the metaverse” is how Mr Clegg described the nascent metaverse, which ultimately could create a hybrid world with a multitude of uses, including education and health. Meta’s chief product officer Chris Cox said that “we are fully post-Covid now and looking at what 2023 brings”.
Technology, in what it presents in terms of opportunities and challenges, is on full display at the World Economic Forum this year. From the implications of the rapid development of AI to the changes in work patterns and industrial leaps, technological changes were woven into most sessions and discussions in Davos.
