Bill Gates predicts that in two or three years the metaverse will host most of the work meetings

Published:

10 Dec 2021 01:31 GMT

Microsoft is working on creating a metaverse where users can attend work meetings through personalized avatars, without the need for physical presence.

In a new publication From his blog, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates reflected on the future of telecommuting and how its format might change with the rise of the metaverse.

With the coronavirus pandemic, the presence in the workplace and the process itself “have revolutionized”, to the point that more and more companies, although they never offered that flexibility to their employees before, are now choosing to work from distance. “These changes will only intensify in the coming years”said the billionaire, adding that telecommuting will attract more and more people to the metaverse.

“Within the next two to three years, I predict that most virtual meetings will move from 2D camera imaging grids […] to the metaverse, a 3D space with digital avatars, “said Gates.

The philanthropist acknowledged that teleworking causes spontaneous interaction between colleagues to be lost. “In your living room you’re not exactly going to have an unplanned conversation with a colleague about your last meeting,” he explained. However, he said that the metaverse will allow that experience to be replicated at home, using the 3D avatar to meet people in a virtual space that would reproduce the feeling of being with them in the same place.

Microsoft, whose board of directors abandonment Gates in 2020, is already working on creating a metaverse oriented to the labor field, where users can attend work meetings through personalized avatars, without having to do so physically. In early November, the company ad a plan to introduce virtual reality and augmented reality tools into its Teams video conferencing and teamwork service.