Beyond "Metavirus" (2)
Faisal Mohammed Al-Shamry
October 24, 2022
His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Executive Council, launched the "Dubai Metaverse Strategy" in July 2022, as a future road map with clear and specific directions, measurable despite its ambitions and challenges.
This ambitious strategy aims to make the country among the first countries that will not only adopt advanced interactive technologies, but will also be influential and targeted, as this technological revolution will affect all aspects of life in the coming decades.
The presence of more than 1,000 technology companies in Dubai, which contributes about $500 million to the national economy, with expectations of rapid growth accompanying sustainable leadership and institutional support.
Among the ambitious goals are to multiply the specialized companies in (Blockchain and Metaverse) fivefold, and for (Metaverse) to support 40,000 virtual jobs, and to contribute four billion dollars over the next four years.
The launch coincided with the formation of an exceptional committee specialized in future technology and the digital economy, headed by His Highness, the Crown Prince of Dubai, to chart an advanced and globally competitive future in all areas of revolutionary and emerging technologies, develop investment plans, and build partnerships to enhance the digital economy of the Emirate of Dubai.
This was preceded by the announcement of the Virtual Asset Regulatory Authority (VARA) in Dubai, the establishment of "Metavirus HQ" in the dynamic virtual world of "Sandbox", to become the first regulator in the world to appear in (Metaverse).
This step came to build institutional trust and effective communication within this virtual world with its components and segments, and to build a framework of collaborative participation between virtual asset service providers (VASPs) and to lead and shape this technology.
Regulation and framing principles of compliance and governance is an ongoing and renewed global challenge.
All of these efforts are aimed at making Dubai (the mecca) of this economy and its global center, and an incubator for this society.
(Metaverse) will not be limited to being the future of the Internet only, as its formation from a group of parallel universes, it reaches it mainly through augmented and virtual reality platforms, and its growing links with modern lifestyles will make it a pivotal part in it, and a pillar of the future, and this confirms the message of organizing "Dubai Metaverse Forum", and the affirmation of His Highness the Crown Prince of Dubai, that "Dubai will remain a major center for testing and developing future technologies."
Whoever is looking forward to the future deserves to lead it.
Where is the challenge then?
It will be up to all of us to meet the challenge and ambition, develop our digital maturity levels, and reduce the digital knowledge gap. Digital Divide, in its broadest sense, is not only the absence of digital or cognitive capabilities, but includes real-time accompaniment, complex knowledge, understanding and deep awareness that is reflected through building focused experiences. Institutional awareness and boldness in innovative and sustainable development to achieve global leadership, among which are advanced technical education, an environment that supports entrepreneurship and national innovation, indicators and open data that show true institutional support for these emerging sectors, and not allow pre-recorded videos to be shown to achieve a fake media scoop from some and to talk about the rest.
Management Consultant, Digital Transformation and Certified Corporate Excellence Expert
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