Dubai Metaverse Assembly: as it happened

The Dubai Metaverse Assembly had technology experts and people from the metaverse community as well as major companies convene to discuss opportunities and ways that its potential can be unlocked.

Dubai has already announced its metaverse strategy, which aims to create 40,000 jobs and add $4 billion to the emirate's economy. This was the first event of its kind since the announcement in July.


A brave new virtual world that needs to be regulated
Here's our wrap of the event, which has come to a close after two fascinating and fantastic days: The hype and excitement that surrounds the potential of the metaverse was felt within the corridors of Dubai's Museum of the Future on Wednesday and Thursday. But there was also a strong message from the 500 or so experts who attended the inaugural Dubai Metaverse Assembly on the brave new world of Web 3.0 — and that was the need for regulation and preparation for what is to come.

There were fascinating glimpses of the future, such as the Ministry of Economy's metaverse headquarters where people can hold meetings and sign legal documents.

Elsewhere at a government level, Gabriel Abed, ambassador of Barbados to the UAE, said his country is aiming to set up an embassy in the metaverse.

The virtual facility will ensure diplomatic parity, future-proofing national services, international coverage, immersive experiences, resource efficiency and a broader reach, he said.

These high-level services will require responsible actions by users and stringent regulation from those hosting them in the metaverse.

Microsoft put its HoloLens 2 on show for the first time at the Dubai Metaverse Assembly. The company demonstrated how, it said, the mixed reality holographic device fundamentally transforms productivity and optimises operations across industries.

"We have been working hard to enable the bridge between the physical and digital worlds – from investing in IoT and digital twin solutions at scale, to broad AI deployments, the future of meetings with Teams and our work with Mesh and HoloLens in mixed reality," said Tariq Hijazi, director of public sector at Microsoft UAE.

Prices for the HoloLens 2 start at $3,500. It is described by Microsoft as "an ergonomic, untethered self-contained holographic device with enterprise-ready applications to increase user accuracy and output".