Described as the next iteration of the internet, the metaverse is nearly upon us, but many questions remain. A conference examining the subject will take place this week with a number of consultant speakers on the bill.
Experts from a number of Australia’s leading consultancies will share their views at this week’s one-day Metaverse Conference and Exhibition at the Pullman Sydney Hyde Park.
Hosted by Kruzade Events and taking place on the 26th of April, more than two dozen speakers will examine the challenges of the burgeoning virtual world technology and how it can be a force for greater inclusiveness and opportunities if sustainably developed.
“The metaverse has long been familiar to tech specialists and other industries but is evolving to impact the way society communicates and engages in business and recreation into the future,” the organisers state. “As with previous pivotal tech advancements, the metaverse is brimming with significant challenges and complexities but opportunities abound for those brave to enter and be part of the growth of this fully immersible internet experience.”
Recruited as firm’s first ever Head of Metaverse toward the end of last year, KPMG director and Transhumanism Australia co-founder Alyse Sue will moderate a discussion on the potential pitfalls of a metaverse environment touted to be fairer, more equitable and open and how they might be addressed, with former Capgemini associate director Matthew Newman, the founder of AI ethics business consultancy TechInnocens, featuring among the panelists.
Currently with Capgemini, Melbourne-based global Web3/NFT head Dheeren Vélu is due to appear as a panelist pondering the question of whether the world is yet ready for the next iteration of the internet, and if now is a bad or in fact good time to push for mainstream adoption when considered against a backdrop of increased societal uncertainty. Prior to Capgemini, Vélu spent more than a decade as a consultant at IBM, including as AI & Cognitive solutions lead.
PwC partner Asanga Lokusooriya, a leader in the firm’s Digital Innovation & Cloud Engineering practice, will give an address on the subject of human behaviour and how it might be impacted by the metaverse as it reshapes our experiences, drawing from likes of embodied cognition theory to examine whether avatars will cause people to behave abnormally. Lokusooriya rejoined PwC in 2011 following an earlier three-year stint at the firm and a career start at Ernst & Young.
Head of Creative Technology at Deloitte Digital, Emad Tahtouh will also appear as a panelist discussing the customer engagement aspects of the metaverse, with many questions still remaining such as how brands will meet customers in a phygital setting and then manage identity and authentication. The session will be moderated by Ashi Bhat, co-founder of Web3 brand loyalty platform INSIDER App and a manager in Customer, Brand & Marketing advisory at KPMG.
Co-founded by Sally-anne Hunter, Kruzade is a recently established specialist event management company focused on the critical topics impacting Australia and promoting equitable outcomes through a collaborative approach. Aiming to cut through the noise, Kruzade brings together government, corporations, academics, consultants and advocates to provide expert insights and solutions into achieving a responsible, humane and sustainable future.