You will work in the Metaverse within 3 years, Bill Gates predicts

On his platform gatesnotes Bill Gates has spoken out in favor of the Metaverse in his annual review.

“Within the next two or three years, I predict most virtual meetings will move from 2D camera image grids — which I call the Hollywood Squaresmodel, although I know that probably dates me — to the metaverse, a 3D space with digital avatars,” the Co-Founder of Microsoft and former CEO Bill Gates wrote.

Most of us have been in a virtual meeting before. They have become the standard form of communication for companies across multiple locations. Remote work has existed before the Pandemic broke out but has been adopted rapidly across many sectors since.

What is the Metaverse?

Neal Stephenson can be credited for introducing the term “Metaverse”. He described a virtual reality in his dystopian sci-fi novel “Snow Crash”, in which people use digital avatars to explore an online world.

Instead of being glued to a Microsoft Teams Call and a simple 2D environment in which we collaborate together, the Metaverse with its virtual reality capabilities will extend our work life and have us adopt a digital avatar. Avatars have been around for a while which we can use for online profiles or to serve as an emoji.

The Metaverse already exists and you may have no clue about it

Enterprises such as Facebook (recently rebranded to Meta) and Microsoft (Mesh) are working to lead the way for conducting virtual meetings in a 3D space using customized avatars with motion capture and spatial audio technology.

Meta’s vision is a clear commitment to building a new environment for individuals and companies: “The metaverse is the next evolution of social connection. Our company’s vision is to help bring the metaverse to life, so we are changing our name to reflect our commitment to this future.“

While Meta, formerly Facebook, undoubtedly has the advantage of mass media publicity many Metaverses already exist and are being build behind the curtain.

Decentraland, The Sandbox, Axle Infinity, Wilder World, High Street, just to name a few. While these Metaverses currently mainly focus on embedding gaming aspects, NFTs, shopping experiences and more, Meta and Microsoft are also ambitious to create a work environment for companies in which to collaborate and work together.

What seems apparent is that not only 1 Metaverse will make the cut but that many Metaverses will co-exist side-by-side serving different purposes for different needs.

Is technology ready to create a wholesome work experience in the Metaverse?

One piece of concern may be rooted in the technical ability that software has to produce in order to provide a seamless virtual experience. Bill Gates noted however “that people shouldn’t assume that the quality of the software that lets you have virtual experiences will stay the same. The acceleration of innovation is just starting.“

Gates also pointed out that Audio will largely improve and enhance a future 3D virtual communication — “One of the biggest improvements over what we use now is the use of spatial audio, where speech sounds like it’s actually coming from the direction of the person talking. You don’t realize how unusual it is to have meeting audio only coming from your computer’s speaker until you try something else,” he wrote..

If one thing can be said for certain is that the speed of how technology has evolved over the last 20 years has been mind blowing, so while the transition for many companies to holding virtual meetings within the Metaverse may be bumpy at first, software will improve fast and aspire to create a wholesome experience for individuals and companies

Your question for today:

How prepared will your company be in 2–3 years to transition from holding 2D to 3D virtual meetings within the Metaverse? Let me know in the comments below.

This article is part of a new blog series called “Future Work — predicting work life in the Metaverse” by global business transformation agency Valtech. To become a digital influencer in your company and to stay up-to-date please subscribe to our channel.

About Valtech.

Valtech is a global business transformation agency delivering innovation with a purpose. We enable clients to anticipate tomorrow’s trends and connect more directly with consumers across their digital touch points while optimizing time-to-market and ROI.