The development of a universal metaverse, accessible to everyone, was one of the great challenges highlighted at the event. The UAE's head of Government Strategy and Innovation, Huda Al Hashimi, addressed the topic and warned that making the experience accessible for everyone is expensive and this is not likely to change anytime soon:
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”This will require governments to be proactive in understanding the opportunities and challenges of interconnected virtual environments. New technology will also require the development of new features and, importantly, a different approach to known regulations.”
Defining and building the metaverse
Created in 2022, the initiative “Defining and Building the Metaverse” presented its first report during the Forum. The document highlights the need to speed up the development of clear governance systems to govern the metaverse and lists the main fronts to interoperability and democratization of access to new technology.
Below, I present a summary of the main points of the report, identified as paths to compose a future governance structure for the metaverse.
An interoperable and, above all, human metaverse
When we talk about metaverse interoperability, we are talking about the user's ability to freely move between different metaverses, with a friendly and secure experience. For this to be a guarantee, it will be necessary to place human beings at the center — both in the development of technology and in the construction of regulation and governance strategies.
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Essas definições devem priorizar o bem-estar de todas as partes interessadas, com escolhas de design que que não marginalizem ou excluam desnecessariamente populações com base em privacidade, segurança ou preferências de proteção. O projeto de interoperabilidade deve, também, considerar privacidade, segurança e proteção infantil.
Digital literacy to enhance security
Investing in literacy about the metaverse will be essential to enable safe and interoperable experiences. Multisectoral approaches will be necessary to expand knowledge (both conceptual and technical) about the new environment, in order to increase security and enhance user experience. If the ecosystem does not have knowledge and good information, there will not be adequate and safe interactions.
Ethical design from conception
For the metaverse to truly be a safe, accessible and interoperable virtual environment, strategic decisions will be necessary from its conception, which include the ethical design of this technology, with significant and timely choices, considering how exchange practices will take place. of data, participation, agency and management decisions. Standards, best practices, and other forms of guidance are only productive if they add value to resolving identified and established concerns.
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Is there an ideal time for regulation?
Incomplete interventions and/or rushed regulations can result in significant trade-offs, which can stifle market innovation and stall platform development. Late regulation, on the other hand, can also result in complications in complying with technical standards. Certain cases require early intervention or regulation, particularly in child safety and medical use cases.
The metaverse as a hypothesis
It is worth remembering that the metaverse is a hypothesis and we should not prematurely launch a thesis about what it will be. When Meta launched its idea of a metaverse in 2021, it began a process of colonization in the collective imagination of what it could be. But we should not restrict ourselves to this option. Its dimension, in addition to being larger, could structurally transform our perception of the world, our behavior, ways of knowing, in addition to industry, services and the large investments that will take place around this evolution.
Be that as it may, the metaverse, if considered as an evolution of the internet, must be for everyone, open, healthy and used for good. And for this, fortunately, the debates are already beginning.
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