The metaverse is quite possibly the future of the internet. To help our readers learn more about it, we've started this metaverse interview series.
These are the questions we've compiled to ask experts in blockchain, DAOs, NFTs, and game development, within the HackerNoon community. The series is intended for tech professionals to contribute their insights about the current state and the future of the metaverse.
If you too would like to start contributing to Hacker Noon, you can do so here.
If you also want to publish your thoughts about the metaverse, answer the template here.
HackerNoon Interviewer: So let’s start! First, tell us a bit about yourself. For example, name, profession, and personal interests.
Hi there. I am Alex Blagirev and I am currently the Deputy CEO of Sensorium Corporation. I am also a Co-founder and acting COO of Wakatta. My job is about connecting strategic visions with actionable technologies to generate positive changes.
In the context of Sensorium, this means leveraging some of the world’s top technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, and Blockchain to revolutionize entertainment and social interactions as we know them today. This is something I truly enjoy as it’s aligned with my passions for entertainment, finance, and breakthrough technologies.
Before life at Sensorium, I held C-level positions at top-tier international corporations such as Alfa-Bank, Societe Generale, and PwC. I was responsible for seeing through disruptive projects like the world's first interbank blockchain transaction on MasterChain (Ethereum Fork) and P2P transaction based on ID photos.
Please sum up what the metaverse is in 1 to two paragraphs.
A metaverse is a boundless virtual space where experiences that don't yet exist can be created and lived fully. In this immersive 3D space people are able to have a constant feeling of presence, social connection, and engagement in activities that reflect their true personalities. There’s no switching on or off in a metaverse, so it becomes a permanent world that is perpetually evolving based on the actions of its users. It's important to note that metaverses are not meant to be simulations of the real-world, but rather an expansion of the possibilities beyond the physical boundaries we are faced with every day. Moreover, metaverses are a massive step forward for humanity in equalizing opportunities and accessibility to a whole new world of experiences.
Are you currently, directly or indirectly, working on building a metaverse?
We're actively working on developing Sensorium Galaxy - a comprehensive metaverse with multiple worlds within it. Each will be dedicated to a specific type of experience like music concerts and dancing or meditation and mindfulness. Our goal is to make this metaverse the kind of next-level experience that we haven't seen so far. That's why we sought out from the start to partner with the best of the best in each field, from tech partners to content creators and world-renowned artists like David Guetta and Armin Van Buuren. This approach is allowing us to create compelling content that will appeal to users and make them want to keep coming back to our metaverse.
In your opinion, is the metaverse inevitable, or is it just another passing trending tech topic that'll lose hype?
It might seem easy to dismiss the metaverse as just another tech buzzword. I think that's, in part, because most people still don't quite comprehend what a metaverse is and how it will benefit them. But on the other hand, the majority of us already live in a very primordial version of a metaverse. We spend our days glued to our phones or computers, uploading our personal lives onto the internet where we are all too happy to share banal everyday happenings.
There's also the aspect of many services and infrastructure moving online because of the pandemic, be that getting your new ID card, attending a music concert or even taking up a job that is fully remote. A metaverse is just an evolution of that, likely in a new dimension that we call Web 3 It brings people together in one single, shared, decentralized virtual space that they can explore freely regardless of who they are, whatever impairments they might have or where they're physically located. No doubt that once fully developed, metaverses will be an extraordinary platform.
Why is the metaverse such a revolutionary concept?
The metaverse is sort of an iteration of the internet, but it's taking it to the next level. As an ever-expanding virtual space, a metaverse is a blank slate for all sorts of outlets.
Ultimately, when you bring together technologies like VR, AR and AI, you’re creating a space where people will be able to live in 24/7, in perfect comfort and harmony.
What can people build in the metaverse that we can't build on the Internet, or in virtual reality today? What limitations of our current technology does the metaverse free us from?
It's not about what we can or can't build online today. I think we can all agree that it's possible to find pretty much anything online. But the current digital world comes with limitations of their own, namely that people have the feeling that they've become just another product or a digital commodity. We've lost a sense of sharing and fostering collective creativity.
There has been a breakdown of the online system. A metaverse on the other hand is a constant collaborative experience over which users have direct control at all times. That's a liberating experience. If you add to that a tool like VR, for example, you're entering a dimension of immersiveness and hyper sensorial experiences that the internet as it is now can't offer.
How are the metaverse and blockchain related? Can we build a metaverse without blockchain technology?
We are currently living in what we call Web 2 — a paradigm dominated by centralized platforms, monopolies and highly regulated fiat financial systems. The metaverse will likely reach its fullness in Web 3 — a separate Web paradigm increasingly decentralized and based on user-centricity and the sovereignty of their data and wealth. To that end, blockchain technology is paramount to run Web 3 and therefore the metaverses that evolve there.
Sensorium Galaxy, the metaverse my company is developing, makes a great example of this seamless union between blockchain and the metaverse. The technology is deployed to give users full control over their funds in this virtual environment, while empowering their creativity through the minting and exchange of non-fungible tokens. Blockchain also plays an essential role in creating transparency when it comes to digital IDs and structures such as Decentralized Autonomous Organizations, where everyone can vote and influence certain processes.
How quickly do you think the metaverse will be developed? How much can we expect metaverse tech to grow in the next 5 to 10 years?
The next decade will be crucial. We’ve been through many false starts in the past, but I do believe that 2021 is the tipping point. The metaverse is gaining momentum faster than ever before to the point where Facebook is switching a big chunk of its business model from being a social platform to becoming a metaverse. On par with this, we’re seeing supporting technology like VR also making great leaps forward. As soon as people are convinced, or at least intrigued, by the digital offerings of the metaverse and are able to easily access a VR headset, I think the metaverse will accelerate.
What is your hope for the metaverse? Do you have any worries or does the concept pose any threats?
As with any other new form of technology, there are two sides of the coin: one with the things we can anticipate and the other with unforeseen twists and turns. Beyond what we can actively have a role in shaping, like weeding out hate speech with filters or using AI to ensure that users aren't being violent to each other, there are outcomes we just can't predict. But I wouldn't say that metaverses will pose a threat to society in the same way that social networks aren't harmful per se, no matter how controversial they've become. It's all about making sure you're building responsible technology from the very start and that you're able to have enough flexibility to identify and tackle problems as they arise. Aside from that, I'd say that it's actually exciting not knowing exactly how things will pan out because planning a metaverse would defeat the very concept of this technology. My hope is that we're building something truly meaningful that will represent a new stage of evolution for humanity.
Thanks for your time! Any final words?
I believe that the metaverse will start slowly seeping into mainstream consciousness and with that it becomes the responsibility of tech companies like us to demystify some of the ideas around it. That way, more people will have a comprehensive understanding of what a metaverse is, what are the advantages of joining it, what kind of opportunities may arise and why it’s such a transformative step forward for society.
This article is part of The Gaming Metaverse Writing Contest hosted by HackerNoon in partnership with The Sandbox.
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