Facebook, Ambitions for the Metaverse (1)
It was historic when Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg changed the name of the company to "Meta" at the online event "Facebook Connect" yesterday.
However, this decision has come under heavy criticism and has become a meme. Xbox co-creator Seamus Blackley said Zuckerberg's new Meta logo would read, "Here's a schematic representation of my testicles." has been deleted),” he tweeted. There are plenty of other silly, thoughtless jokes that mock Mr. Zuckerberg's grandiose plans.
People say Facebook is too dumb to make this move at a time when it's been under a lot of fire for prioritizing profit over caring for people and political peace. .
While so many people are mocking Mr. Zuckerberg, I see some wise moves. Many people make fun of the Metaverse (a virtual world where everything is interconnected). But I've been thinking about it ever since I read novels like "Snow Crush" and "Ready Player One." They've been in the making for decades, and while there are smaller ones like Second Life, Grand Theft Auto Online, and Roblox, they don't really exist yet.
Futurist Matthew Ball says the Metaverse should feel like you're in it. He also thinks he should feel like he's there, like Zuckerberg said, like he's transported somewhere else.
I've been ridiculed for believing in the metaverse.
Ignoring some people's advice, I organized a Metaverse event in January 2021 with 30 related panels and a gathering of leaders in the gaming world. (By the way, there will be a conference called "GamesBeat Summit Next" on November 9th and 10th, where we will talk about the Metaverse, and we plan to hold the second Metaverse event in January.) I continued on this path.
And now, with enough money, Facebook would go this far and embrace the Metaverse.
Zuckerberg was somewhat aware that he would be criticized. At a press event that preceded his announcement, he said (in light of the controversy):
"I recognize that there are important issues to address right now, and we are committed to continuing our efforts and industry-leading efforts at scale." At the same time, I believe that the current problems will always exist, which is why it is so important to move forward and continue to strive to shape the future.”
We sci-fi geeks are all laughed at. Smart pundits like CNN mock Zuckerberg for being such a nerd. But Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang famously said, "We live in science fiction after all." He wanted to say that AI had been struggling for a long time and finally started working properly about six years ago.
AI is now huge, with 8,500 startups working on a number of new technologies, leading to advances in other areas. Yes, AI is one of the breakthroughs needed to build the metaverse. If AI succeeds, it can also succeed in the Metaverse. Many smart people have realized that and are beginning to dream alongside Mr. Zuckerberg.
We still have a long way to go to realize a true Metaverse with amazing immersion, instantness, and ubiquitousness anywhere in the world. What we want is still far from reality. But Zuckerberg's cool images and videos do a good job of conveying that sentiment. It would be really great if he could make his animated vision come true.
If I were to bring up my favorite adage "follow the money" again, the conclusion would be that there is so much money put into the Metaverse that it will happen. You can't come home without a huge project like the Manhattan Project and an atomic bomb. The Metaverse will happen because capital is betting on it, and Zuckerberg has the wisdom to see through it. (Continued next)
[via VentureBeat] @VentureBeat
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