You hear it right, the Metaverse is being discussed at Davos.

At the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) business and world leaders gather for discussions. More commonly known as Davos, the meeting takes its name from a town perched in the Swiss alps which becomes an invite-only location each January. This years 2023 theme is officially titled “cooperation in a fragmented world”.

Cooperation in a fragmented world

The Internet has been a game-changer in how we connect and share information with people from all over the world. Still the promise to unite people across borders and revolutionize progress, to bring us together and create a sense of community has not been fully realized yet. While the Internet and video conferencing have allowed us to communicate virtually, there is a clear increase of polarization and spread of misinformation.

However, we are now at the beginning of a new technological development that has the potential to address this divide. Metaverse technologies allow us to be immersed in virtual three-dimensional worlds that offer a new way to see, understand, and imagine our world. And this new form of technology-enabled human interaction is projected to become a prevalent part of our personal and professional lives.

Billions of dollars are being invested into developing the concept Metaverse, which is projected to become an $800 billion market by 2024. And yet, there is still a long way to go to define and build a commercially viable, interoperable, secure and inclusive Metaverse.

As stated by the World Economic Forum, WEF established the “Global Collaboration Village” as a first step towards this goal. It is the first global, purpose-driven Metaverse platform that aims to enhance public-private cooperation and drive impact at scale. The Global Collaboration Village aims to supplement and extend our ability to connect regardless of where we are physically located around the world.

It’s launched in partnership with Accenture and Microsoft, and supported by a consortium of leading global corporations, governments, international organizations, academic institutions, and NGOs.

https://medium.com/@staerck/davos-meets-the-metaverse-bb77542b14c3