+

Cookies on the Business Insider India website

Business Insider India has updated its Privacy and Cookie policy. We use cookies to ensure that we give you the better experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we\'ll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Business Insider India website. However, you can change your cookie setting at any time by clicking on our Cookie Policy at any time. You can also see our Privacy Policy.

Close
HomeQuizzoneWhatsappShare Flash Reads
 

Bill Gates says most virtual meetings will move to the metaverse within 3 years, and workers will interact using VR headsets and avatars

Dec 10, 2021, 18:28 IST
Business Insider
Bill Gates.Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images
  • Bill Gates said that virtual meetings could move to the metaverse in two to three years.
  • Workers will use VR headsets and motion-capture gloves to interact with colleagues, Gates said.
Advertisement

Video meetings could look very different in the near future, according to Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates.

In an annual blog post published on December 7, Gates said that he predicts most virtual meetings could move from "2D camera image grids" to the metaverse within two to three years. He said it would be a 3D space with digital avatars.

"The idea is that you will eventually use your avatar to meet with people in a virtual space that replicates the feeling of being in an actual room with them," Gates wrote.

Although the term "metaverse" is still quite vague, it's seen by many as the next stage of digital communication. Some, like Gates, said it could resemble a form of cyberspace, in which users interact through 3D avatars. Others say it's simply a concept.

The word was coined by author Neal Stephenson in his book Snow Crash, but both Meta (formerly Facebook) and Microsoft have announced plans to develop a virtual reality-based metaverse.

Advertisement

Gates said that the pandemic has accelerated technological changes that otherwise would have taken years. Under his vision, Gates said VR goggles and motion capture gloves would be needed to accurately capture a user's body language, voice, and facial expressions while in the metaverse.

This could slow the adoption because many people don't own these tools yet, he said.

Gates wrote that Microsoft plans to roll out an interim version next year, which will use a webcam to animate an avatar for workers to use in current 2D web screens.

He also revealed that he had the opportunity to test prototypes of 3D avatars being developed by other companies.

"There's still some work to do, but we're approaching a threshold where the technology begins to truly replicate the experience of being together in the office," Gates wrote.

Advertisement

Gates often uses his annual blog post to reflect on the past year and offers predictions for the future.

He said that 2021 — which saw him separate from Melinda Gates, his wife of 27 years — had been the "most unusual and difficult" year of his life.

However, he is optimistic that the "acute phase" of the Covid-19 pandemic will be over by 2022.

You are subscribed to notifications!
Looks like you've blocked notifications!
Next Article