Monday, May 23, 2022 (11:30 am - 1 pm CEST)

The Metaverse: technological, business and social implications of the new digital worlds

Microsoft House Viale Pasubio, 21 - 20154, MILANO

Suresh Balaji

Annamaria Bottero

Board Member and Costumer Success Director, Microsoft Italia

Valerio De Molli

Managing Partner & CEO, The European House - Ambrosetti; Director of London’s Ambrosetti Group Limited

Adriano Fabris

Professor of Moral Philosofy, Pisa University

Vincenzo Russi

President and Chief Executive Officer, E-NOVIA

A term coined by science fiction writer Neal Stephenson in 1992, the metaverse is an interactive digital world made possible by the convergent development of a plurality of key technologies: blockchain and NFT, augmented reality and virtual reality hardware and software, 3-D graphics technologies, Internet of Things (IoT) and ultrafast networks. The metaverse aims to become a true alternative world in which users can interact-with each other and with businesses, buy digital objects, and participate in immersive experiences in real virtual spaces created to replicate reality: shopping malls, concert halls, gathering spaces, and offices. There are numerous sectors where we are beginning to see the first experiences of the metaverse and which will be the first to be significantly impacted: fashion, gaming, entertainment, productivity, real estate and, more generally, all those sectors where interaction with one's customer base is a factor of success, particularly for younger audiences of Generation Z and, more prospectively, Generation Alpha.
The development of the metaverse has important ramifications in at least three areas: the technological, the business and also the ethical-social. The meeting will aim to bring together thoughts from these three strands, discussing the state of the art of technology and its future developments; bringing concrete testimonies from companies; and, finally, discussing opportunities and risks that the virtualization of reality poses for the social fabric.