February 1, 2022 (Updated April 3rd, 2024)
A new dawn for tech – humanity, AI & the metaverse
Once upon a time artificial intelligence (AI) and virtual realities were relegated to the dog-eared pages of sci-fi paperbacks. They existed only in fantasy – seemed to occupy the futuristic space of flying cars and holograms. But today… not so much.
Humankind is endlessly innovative, and every century, every decade and every year is characterised by new advancements. The speed with which this tech develops is phenomenal. In fact, the smartphones so ubiquitous today are actually millions of times more powerful than the Apollo 11 computers which first put man on the moon just over fifty years ago. How’s that for speedy advancement?
Needless to say, progress is a good thing. But it can also be intimidating – and it is not without its challenges, too. Today, automation and the metaverse are top order in any conversation about “a new dawn for tech”. AI looks set to change the workplace forever with McKinsey predicting that one-quarter of the workforce will lose their jobs to automation by 2030. As for the Metaverse, if you hadn’t heard of it before, thanks to Facebook’s highly publicised rebrand, you probably have now.
But what is the Metaverse, and how might a leap from our current reality into this new realm of augmented reality and artificial intelligence look like? Keep reading to find out more about the next stage in human evolution and, more importantly, how we might prepare ourselves to use it to our full advantage.
What is the metaverse?
So, what is the metaverse when it’s at home? No, it’s not merely a plot point in the spiderman franchise. Nor is it a mind-bending Christopher Nolan film. The truth is that the metaverse, a bit like the internet, isn’t a single set thing. And until the technology catches up, it’s more of a concept than an actual cyberspace we can escape to.
A lot of the confusion surrounding the metaverse comes from its mixed cultural background. For a time, the idea of a metaverse was mostly associated with a boom in virtual reality (VR) headsets in the gaming world. This is because the metaverse is a form of augmented reality, in other words, a non-physical space. Facebook (now Meta) have added a new dimension to our perception of the metaverse, positioning it as a natural extension of social media – announcing plans to transform their platform into a virtual hangout space complete with your own digital avatar and clothes.
The truth at the heart of this is that – just like the internet – the metaverse won’t be one single thing, and it probably won’t be owned by one single business. Instead, it will extend the powers of connectivity we already see with the internet to a greater degree. Allowing us to interact with others in a virtual 3D space that may very well include touch, taste and smell. And, like the internet, it will introduce a whole new way of working – and money making – into our lives.
Why we should prepare – Knowledge is power
So, you’ve got to grips (well, just about) with what the metaverse might look like – but what does this mean for you? Again, just like the internet, the metaverse may transform the world and modern culture as we know it. In fact, in our age of remote work the biggest changes are likely to take place in the workplace. Just as society has gone through many epochal shifts – from the industrial revolution to the technological age – our places of work have changed too, from physical places to hybrid and virtual ones.
Just imagine the power of a workplace based in the metaverse. You’d have all the benefits of a physical workplace and a remote one combined into one 3D virtual area, and many logic-based mechanical jobs will be replaced by automated ones. The natural byproduct will be an increase in creativity and innovation with employees able to collaborate from all over the world in one single shared space. Still, the shift will be a big change from what we know today – and that’s why knowledge is power. Being prepared will help businesses and individuals to hit the ground running.
Mindset before materiality
You may be wondering whether it’s really worth preparing now for shifts in automation and cyberspace considering they probably won’t happen overnight. Yet, the truth is that is why now is exactly the time to start preparing because sussing out mindset before the materiality increases your chances of success when it comes to implementation. Just like Olympic athletes who can improve their performance by practising, first and foremost, in their head – you can ensure that you are ready to take full advantage of the metaverse when it’s here by making shifts to your thinking now.
OpenGenius’ creativity workshops are powered by AI and provide a natural stop-gap between where we are now, and where we’re going in the future with the metaverse. You can learn how to use AI, not to supplant your working abilities, but to actually increase them. By taking the time now to discover how to use digital, cutting edge tools which will still exist inside the metaverse, you can ensure swift adaptation of the new environment when it becomes a reality. Plus, all OpenGenius workshops cover how to maximise interpersonal skills and creativity techniques within a digital environment, which many fear are incompatible. Get ahead of the metaverse with OpenGenius’ AI-powered betaverse experience – where futuristic technology combines with team-building innovation techniques to make a human-centric digital reality. Check out our workshops today.
The all-in-one remote work toolkit
Ayoa is an all-in-one platform that allows teams to collaborate seamlessly while working from home. Integrations with Dropbox and Google Drive allow you to stay productive and avoid switching between apps.
Try it for free
Caragh Medlicott
Caragh Medlicott is a freelance writer and interim Editor of Wales Arts Review. After graduating with a First-Class Honours degree in English Literature and an MA in Creative Writing from Cardiff University she began a full-time writing career in Wales. She is the author of several published short stories and was shortlisted for the Lunate 500 award in December 2020, and a finalist in Narrative’s 30 Below competition in 2021. She is a regular contributor to BBC Wales' The Review Show.