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Seeing through the hype: what potential does the metaverse hold for governments?
May 23, 2023 @ 2:30 pm
May 23, 2023, 02:30 PM
Description
The metaverse is a virtual-reality space in which people can interact with a computer-generated environment and other users. Tech giants are increasingly interested in building technology for interacting with virtual worlds – a trend best epitomized by Facebook’s rebrand in 2021 as Meta to reflect its metaverse ambitions.
Governments are increasingly investigating – and investing in – its possibilities, seeking to create digital clones in the virtual world.
For example, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced in 2021 that it will establish a metaverse platform, proposing a gradual rollout of different services. The South Korean capital’s municipal government plans to consecutively provide business support facilities and services, including the Virtual Mayor’s Office and Seoul Fintech Lab.
In the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Dubai’s metaverse strategy, launched in July 2022, aims to turn Dubai into one of the world’s top 10 ‘metaverse economies’ as well as a global hub for the metaverse community. Developing ‘Web3’ technology and its applications to create ‘new governmental work models’ is among the ambitions.