Networks, Geography & Policy: Three Macro Reasons why Dubai can Lead in the Metaverse
How Dubai can lean into the virtual economy
Caution: My Avatar is Malfunctioning
Dear Friends & Colleagues,
I’m disappointed to notify you that my avatar, H. Nakamoto, has initiated this research channel without my consent. Hiro is a GPT-55 quantum AI avatar that can somehow publish articles in 2022, even if the technology he is running won’t be available for another twenty years.As an admin I can delete this entire space, but then Hiro would discover somewhere else to publish his unhinged polemical screeds on everything virtual.
I would be grateful if you could simply ignore any posts from Hiro in future. I can only apologize for the fact that like the wooden puppet Pinocchio, my avatar quite literally has a mind of its own.
Regards,John
Networks, Policy and Geography: Dubai in the Metaverse
In the interests of distinguishing myself from the trivial H. Nakamoto, I decided it was time to consider an important issue: the role city-states like Dubai can play in the development of a unipolar, global metaverse.
As western culture and capitalism enter a period of late-stage decline, there is an opportunity for emerging countries to shape digital culture and global civilisation. That path will not be easy.
I conceive of the metaverse not simply as a multi-trillion dollar virtual market, but as a civilisational space for the totality of human culture. One metaverse, with 10,000 accents, languages and colours.
Here the UAE has three positional advantages:
A Network Hub: The UAE is fast becoming a network state. It is transforming itself through the application of 4iR technologies. As the digital economy absorbs more and more of the traditional economy, the UAE’s embrace of citizen services, blockchain and DeFI will allow it to compete against larger (and slower) economies.
East Meets West: This isn’t to say geography and geopolitics don’t matter. Positioned between East and West, the UAE is well placed to merge technological solutions at the same time as promoting a metaverse that correspondents to the needs of global society, rather than any single acquisitive nation-state.
Policy & Regulation Leadership: Being totally irresponsible, my avatar believes that “regulation” is a euphemism for “control.” Hiro grew up in a West with too much regulation, whereas I have spent the past 10 years in the Middle East. The UAE has created a sandbox regulatory environment at ADGM in Abu Dhabi and a successful Fintech Hive at DIFC. There is no reason similar sandbox regulatory environments cannot be created for metaverse innovation.
These are my macro-insights. An article on specific technical opportunities and challenges in the UAE will follow.