Is the “Metaverse” back?

Yes, you read that right. The, eventually, most hated word of the last few years after the bubble of 2021/22 exploded. I personally have not stopped mentioning it, even after the collapse of interest. I still strongly believe that this is where we are heading, although the definition of the metaverse might be different than most people thought.

In my humble opinion the word metaverse stands for the ongoing trend of our lives becoming more digital, and more virtual. Will we all live with VR headsets in one virtual world? (it always reminds me of this Bruce Willis movie) I don’t think so. I do believe that the boundaries between digital and physical will disappear even further.

Why I thought about writing this right now is because of one of the latest Nvidia releases called ACE aka Autonomous Game Characters. Smart “computer” players in games, yes please! The term 'AI' has been used in games for decades. Non-playable characters (NPCs) in videogames traditionally follow strict rules designed to mimic intelligence, follow a guided story, and provide a scripted interaction with you as a player. However, with the rise of intelligent language models, game AI is primed for a truly intelligent overhaul.

See here an example of the popular Battle Royale shooting game PUBG:

What does this have to do with the metaverse? Thinking back about all the virtual worlds that launched, the brand experiences we did or the questions we got from brands when discussing the metaverse. A big challenge was always empty lands, empty experiences and boring NPC’s. Now you can already see where this is heading with Nvidia’s ACE.

What if next time a brand launches an experience, you can go in and have in-depth conversations with multiple AI powered characters. Characters who can take you on a journey through the experience or game, help spread the ethos and values of a brand and, as a brand ambassador, build a virtual relationship with you. Possible because this character will remember you, your questions, your ideas, your thoughts, anything you shared with it, when you come back to the experience and speak to it again.

We might see a resurgence of these type of game/virtual world experiences by brands and they will probably be more successful then before.

On the other hand it does raise concerns and questions in my head. If these games and worlds will become so alive, so interactive and feel so “real”, there might be people who will loose themselves in them. I bet this will happen, especially when you see the success of Character.AI. This is an AI platform (recently “acquired” by Google) where you can have conversations with AI driven characters, from historical figures to fictional personas. These characters are designed to engage in human-like conversations, providing users with personalized experiences.

The platform has 28 million monthly active users. Even more impressive is that on average users interact about two hours daily with their characters and they spend an average of 12 minutes and 33 seconds per visit. Unreal numbers for an online platform. The characters simulate human-like conversations, displaying empathy, humor, and wit. For many users, these interactions provide emotional support, making them more than just an entertainment tool.

Now add these two things together, immersive virtual worlds and emotionally connected characters.. It is one of those things that divides me, on one hand it is exciting, fun and can probably also help a lot of people. On the other hand it feels dystopian and can I totally see the possible negative effects as well. Innovation is a double edged sword as always and it is up to us to ensure that these developments happen in the most responsible way possible.

Additionally to virtual worlds and games, the development of mixed reality glasses is also continuing full steam ahead. As mentioned, if we look at the metaverse as the trend of more digital/virtual lives aka virtualization, glasses fit right in.

First and foremost, Meta’s AI fueled Ray-Ban’s have been a bigger success than expected. Additionally they announced Orion already, their first true Augmented Reality Glasses.

At CES this year we saw multiple extended reality smart glasses. Such as Halliday’s smart glasses, which project text and images directly into the wearer’s field of view. This is perceived as a 3.5-in. screen that appears in the upper-right corner of your view. A “proactive” AI assistant enables features such as real-time translation in up to 40 languages, live navigation for directions, and teleprompter-style display of notes.

Or the Rokid glasses that have a simple green text display and intelligent assistant. Rokid’s device also packs a 12-megapixel camera for image and video capture into the frames.

The market for devices is still rising, despite what people might think.

Concluding this part of the newsletter. Virtual worlds and games are becoming more “real” thanks to AI driven characters, possible of truly supporting and teaming up in your game and building longer lastig relationships in virtual worlds and experiences. Add to this the continues innovation and growth in the realm of AR/VR/MR glasses and especially the rise of these very, normal and wearable glasses, and the “metaverse” seems closer than ever.

I will leave you with one question though. If this trend continues and our digital lives are becoming even more important, aren’t real digital rights critical? What about digital property rights, so we can actually own things in this digital world?

Exactly….

If you agree, you just became a blockchain believer 😉!

Should we hit the break, or hit the gas pedal when it comes to new tech?

For this section, we are first going back in time. To the year 1865 to be exact, when the United Kingdom passed the Locomotive Act. This was a set of laws introduced during the early days of motor vehicles. Its primary purpose was to regulate and restrict the operation of self-propelled vehicles, such as steam-powered and early internal combustion engine cars, on public roads.

Let me highlight the two craziest rules of this act, which later got the nickname “Red Flag Act” and you will read why:

• The act required that a man on foot walks in front of the vehicle carrying a red flag or a lantern to warn other road users of the approaching vehicle.

• The law imposed very low speed limits for vehicles: 2 mph in towns and cities & 4 mph in rural areas.

Yes, this was actual law during that time 🤣! The act reflected public concern and skepticism about the safety and disruptive nature of motor vehicles. People were afraid of the unknown, afraid of these new machines. The regulations were also heavily influenced by the interests of industries reliant on horse-drawn transport, which saw motor vehicles as a threat.

The fear of this new technology and the power of the entrepreneurial establishment at that point resulted in a hindering of this innovation in the country. Many claim this one of the main reason why the UK did not develop a strong car industry. The law(s) pushed all innovators and investors to countries like Germany and the United States where they were more open to this new technology.

By the time the new Locomotives on Highways Act of 1896 canceled the Red Flag Act, the UK had already lost significant ground to Germany and the US in automotive innovation. This delay contributed to the UK taking a backseat in the global automotive industry for much of the 20th century.

Now fast forward to the year 2025. Just like then, there is now fear about a lot of new technology. Mainly AI. The result is two camps:

Accelerationists: they believe we should innovate as quickly as possible to solve big problems and create a better future. They see technology, like AI and space exploration, as tools to improve life for everyone.

Decelerationists (Decels): they think we need to slow down innovation to avoid mistakes and make sure new technologies are safe and sustainable. They focus on protecting people and the environment from the risks of rushing ahead.

A third approach was shared by Vitalik Buterin, founder of Ethereum, which takes a bit of a stand in the middle of the two. A view that aligns closes to what I believe personally as well.

He introduced Defensive Accelerationism (d/acc), advocating for the rapid development of technologies that enhance safety and decentralization. This approach aims to harness innovation to protect society from potential risks associated with unchecked technological advancement. For more info, read his view here or watch his keynote about it here.

A big topic and, as I mentioned in my last newsletter as well, one that I am very torn on. I do strongly believe that we can innovate our way out of every challenge and it sometimes might even be the only way. On the other hand, I do acknowledge the enormous risks and potential negative impact this technology might have.

So for now I feel like Vitalik shared. We push forward as hard as we can with new technology, while keeping a real eye out for the negative possibilities.

The opposite of being afraid and freezing, doing nothing because of it, is laughing at it. Laughing at it without staying open to what this could possibly mean for your work, business or life.

Who remembers the “Will Smith Eating Spaghetti” meme when the first AI video models came out? I have used that example many times, in many presentations.

People laughed, but there was also people who laughed and thought about what this would turn into very soon. Our innovation team at Monks knew exactly what we were looking at. We were right, look at that meme now:

The learning? Don’t just laugh about it when you see crazy stuff (such as weird ass AI agents? 😉), try to sit with it for a minute and think about what the thing you are seeing could evolve into. The above examples of current “Will Smith Eating Spaghetti” are not perfect, but what about another 18 months forward?

The speed of change we are currently witnessing is ridiculous and even a bit disturbing for some. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang says the performance of their AI chips is advancing faster than historical rates set by Moore’s Law, which says computers get twice as powerful every two years.

I am at least excited to be alive during this incredible innovative time and can’t wait to see what the world will look like. But as mentioned in my accel/decel part of this edition, it is not without challenges.

I do believe that we, as people, will always find a way to get ourselves out of the trouble and can find ways to thrive.

Call me an optimist, but rather that than living in fear and negativity 🙂.

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^{Who am I and why you should be here:}

^{Over the years, I’ve navigated industries like advertising, music, sports, and gaming, always chasing what’s next and figuring out how to make it work for brands, businesses, and myself. From strategizing for global companies to experimenting with the latest tech, I’ve been on a constant journey of learning and sharing.}

^{This newsletter is where I’ll bring all of that together—my raw thoughts, ideas, and emotions about AI, blockchain, gaming, Gen Z & Alpha, and life in general. No perfection, just me being as real as it gets.}

^{Every week (or whenever inspiration hits), I’ll share what’s on my mind: whether it’s deep dives into tech, rants about the state of the world, or random experiments that I got myself into. The goal? To keep it valuable, human, and worth your time.}