Remember the metaverse?
Before the recent explosion of hype around artificial intelligence (AI), the metaverse was anointed the Next Big Thing, ready to transform the world, technology, and work in ways never before imagined. Soon we would all live and work together in a virtual world far more interesting, vital, and productive than the drab reality in which we’re stuck.
It wasn’t just Mark Zuckerberg who led the metaverse charge by changing Facebook’s name to Meta. Microsoft hyped it as well, notably when CEO Satya Nadella said, “I can’t overstate how much of a breakthrough this is,” in his keynote speech at Microsoft Ignite two years ago.
That was then, in the long-ago, unenlightened days of early 2021. Now, tech companies are much wiser, they tell us. It’s AI at heart of the coming transformation. The metaverse is yesterday’s news.
Microsoft officially denies it, but the company has practically shut down work on the metaverse. The speed with which it happened is stunning — and it’s a cautionary tale for businesses tempted to invest in the technologies currently on their hype lists.
When the metaverse was the future
Nadella, in that 2021 keynote, made big promises: “When we talk about the metaverse, we’re describing both a new platform and a new application type, similar to how we talked about the web and websites in the early ’90s…. In a sense, the metaverse enables us to embed computing into the real world and to embed the real world into computing, bringing real presence to any digital space. For years, we’ve talked about creating this digital representation of the world, but now, we actually have the opportunity to go into that world and participate in it.”
Nadella envisioned big benefits for both consumers and businesses. “It’s no longer just looking at a camera view of a factory floor; you can be on the floor,” he said. “It’s no longer just videoconferencing with colleagues; you can be…
2023-02-23 13:00:03
Link from www.computerworld.com
Microsoft, one of the leading providers of innovation in the technology industry, announced this week that it is bidding farewell to the metaverse, a digital domain of immersive, interactive 3D worlds, and embracing the future of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning.
Microsoft’s decision to close its online metaverse, the Microsoft-hosted version of an open-source platform called Entropia Universe, was made in order to focus more on developing AI applications, such as its virtual assistant, Cortana. The metaverse used by Microsoft played host to a number of large virtual events, including the Virtual Worlds World Cup, and was also utilized by companies to host virtual customer events, large conferences, and product-related events.
Microsoft’s shift away from the metaverse is part of a larger trend in the technology industry, one that is seeing more and more companies embrace AI and machine learning to develop new and creative applications. Companies are increasingly leveraging AI and machine learning to build smarter and more personalized experiences for users, and Microsoft is no different.
By transitioning away from the metaverse and towards AI applications, Microsoft is poised to capitalize on the booming AI industry, as well as make strides with Cortana and other innovative AI applications. Microsoft has also made clear its intentions to quickly expand its efforts in AI and machine learning in order to stay on the cutting edge of innovation in the tech industry.
As Microsoft bids farewell to the metaverse, the company is looking to the horizon and embracing the future of AI and machine learning. It will be interesting to watch what comes as a result of this shift, and Microsoft looks to make its mark in AI technology.