CNN’S Anna Stewart talks metaverse, crypto, synthetic intelligence and extra
DUBAI: Anna Stewart, a CNN reporter on the information channel’s bureau in London, is the host of its reveals “Decoded” and “Market Europe.”
Within the former, she explores the most recent developments in know-how, from cryptocurrencies to wearables, so Arab Information sat down together with her for an unique chat in regards to the newest developments within the tech sector.
The metaverse has been a sizzling subject for the previous 12 months or extra but it stays exhausting to outline precisely what it means and encompasses.
“It’s at all times troublesome to outline one thing that’s nonetheless evolving and folks actually differ of their opinions on this one,” Stewart stated. “At its most broad definition, I might say the metaverse is the web gone three-dimensional.”
As Stewart has gotten to know the concepts behind the metaverse higher, she stated she has been most stunned by the truth that there’s a couple of metaverse, “and so they all feel and appear very completely different.”
She informed how she has skilled a number of metaverses, together with a digital nightclub in Somnium House, a digital actuality expertise on the Ethereum blockchain, the place she danced with strangers, and shopping for a pet lion in Second Life after which flying with it, as a result of “why not?”
Some metaverse platforms intention to reinforce human connections, comparable to Meta’s Horizon Workrooms.
Anna Stewart
“I used to be skeptical that this may be any higher than Skype or Zoom,” stated Stewart. “I like to fulfill individuals IRL (in actual life) however, after all, that’s not at all times attainable and the VR expertise brings you ever nearer.”
The “Decoded” crew typically holds manufacturing conferences within the metaverse, she defined.
“After I’m carrying my VR headset in London, I’m able to work together with the crew round a digital desk and even view the most recent episode on the massive digital display,” she stated.
“It makes us really feel like we’re collectively and collaborating in a means {that a} video name simply can’t.”
Though some individuals have voiced considerations that the metaverse could be detrimental to real-life connections and interactions, Stewart is just not too involved about that.
“Generally we fear an excessive amount of about change,” she stated. “Folks fearful the arrival of the cell phone would have an identical affect and I don’t consider it has.”
The rise of the cell phone, the web and, consequently, social media did, nonetheless, have implications for privateness and on-line security. Even now, greater than a decade after the daybreak of social media, regulation stays a problem.
“I fear deeply that hate speech, cyberbullying, and sexual harassment could possibly be much more invasive if individuals can conceal behind the anonymity of an avatar,” stated Stewart.
The query of person privateness is one thing Philip Rosedale, the founding father of digital world Second Life, has been pondering since its inception. One among his largest considerations is how future metaverse platforms will make cash.
He informed Stewart: “It needs to be a enterprise mannequin that doesn’t embody surveillance, focusing on and commercial.”
If metaverse platforms fail to self-regulate, governments may need to step in and outline the principles, which will probably be no straightforward activity, Stewart stated.
Jane Thomason, a futurist and creator with reference to digital ethics, informed Stewart: “Sometimes, regulation has been carried out on a jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction foundation, and but a few of these metaverses will probably be multijurisdictional, and even digital in that they don’t have any explicit geography that’s their dwelling.”
One other vital space wherein regulation continues to be below improvement is cryptocurrency. Following the FTX scandal, crypto adoption has slowed globally. Dubai, nonetheless, has embraced cryptocurrency, “so it’s little shock you’ll discover well-known crypto influencers residing there,” Stewart stated.
“You’ll additionally discover you should buy a automobile and even an condo utilizing cryptocurrency; two of the area’s largest property builders, Damac and Emaar, seem like embracing a crypto future,” she added.
Extra importantly, she stated, Dubai is looking for to manage the sector by means of its Digital Belongings Regulatory Authority. Moreover, crypto exchanges comparable to BitOasis and Binance have secured licenses to function within the UAE.
The way forward for cryptocurrencies, in line with Stewart, will most likely be completely different from what many individuals assume.
“I believe a very decentralized foreign money, like Bitcoin, may revolutionize monetary transactions in some elements of the world and is a helpful technique of cost for cross-border transactions,” she stated.
However she added: “I don’t assume shopping for Bitcoin within the hope its worth will go up and make you a Bitcoin billionaire is an efficient technique or one which’s more likely to work.”
Along with the metaverse and crypto industries, synthetic intelligence is one other subject that has sparked controversy and discussions about regulation, particularly the emergence of bots and deepfake know-how for manipulating digital pictures.
Stewart was deepfaked, together with her consent, for an episode of “Decoded” and the method “was pretty straightforward, which is massively worrying,” she stated.
Selina Wang, one other CNN journalist, not too long ago reported on deepfaked anti-US newscasts unfold by pro-China bot accounts on Twitter and Fb.
“These real looking newscasts function AI-generated anchors which are troublesome to inform aside from the actual factor,” stated Stewart.
“This know-how is spreading quickly all over the world and would have main penalties on belief and reliability.”
Though AI is just not with out its share of controversy, and considerations in regards to the disruption it would trigger to some jobs, its proponents consider it holds nice promise when it comes to reshaping society and training, and creating new industries. One report predicted that 85 p.c of jobs that can exist in 2030 haven’t even been invented but.
Regardless of fears about AI-powered chatbots comparable to ChatGPT, which has been used for a variety of actions, from writing essays to creating recipes, Stewart believes they might in time show to be an “unbelievable sounding board for creatives.”
She stated she makes use of them herself to seek out the appropriate phrases or metaphors for her scripts, or to generate new concepts for her present.
“Even when what it spits out isn’t any good, it could spark a distinct concept in my mind,” she defined.
Whereas new applied sciences typically appear threatening and harmful at first, they might revolutionize the longer term, Stewart added.
The experiences she has had speaking with company on “Decoded” and attempting a few of the improvements for herself have transformed her “from a cynic to a agency believer that this know-how has an vital position to play sooner or later.”