Meta Executive: The Metaverse Can Bring "Transformation" to Vocational Education, Can Coexist with AI Instead of Being Replaced

On May 17th, it was reported that executives at Facebook's parent company Meta believe that the metaverse can coexist with generative artificial intelligence and will bring "change" to pre job training and vocational education, while Meta "can balance the two".Meta is using metaverse technology as a tool to help train employees, in order to revive public interest in the metaverse

On May 17th, it was reported that executives at Facebook's parent company Meta believe that the metaverse can coexist with generative artificial intelligence and will bring "change" to pre job training and vocational education, while Meta "can balance the two".

Meta is using metaverse technology as a tool to help train employees, in order to revive public interest in the metaverse. This indicates that even in the current era where artificial intelligence has become the focus, Meta has not abandoned its vision of the metaverse.

Nick Clegg, president of Meta Global Affairs, delivered a speech at the "Future Work Summit" held in Washington on Tuesday local time, saying that augmented reality and virtual reality can play a "transformative" role in pre job training and vocational education.

I am confident that when it comes to augmented reality and virtual reality, one of the most powerful applications is the ability to significantly improve the level of learning new skills, "Clegg said, referring to the application of metaverse technology in skill industries, schools, and elderly care.

Although people's enthusiasm for the metaverse is fading, and the Metaverse business unit RealityLab, which produces Quest headsets and HorizonWorlds virtual reality platform under Meta, is also laying off employees recently, Clegg's wording is still optimistic. It will take about 10 to 15 years for this technology to mature enough, make it affordable for users, and truly popularize in society, "Clegg said

Doug Donavon, CEO of InterplayLearning, uses Meta's virtual reality headgear to train workers in industries such as plumbing, HVAC systems, and electrical services. He said that this technology has helped the company develop a "boot camp style" training that allows people to be ready for work in five to six weeks, rather than taking several months as before. Although more and more employers in related industries promise to use virtual reality technology, there are still many obstacles to adopting this technology in practical operation. Donovan said at the event, "People haven't completely bought it." "It's a hand to hand battle to convince them that this technology has potential

At present, the generative artificial intelligence behind ChatGPT is booming across the entire network, and the latest developments in the field of artificial intelligence have attracted interest from the technology community, giving rise to new startups. Clegg said that the constantly changing promotional cycle helps the company achieve its goals in the metaverse field, rather than replacing them. We can balance both. This is not a trade-off, "Clegg said." The two are completely complementary. Without generative artificial intelligence, people cannot enjoy the fun of the future metaverse. "For example, he said, the time to build a virtual world can be shortened through simple verbal prompts. The boom in the field of artificial intelligence has also reignited concerns about the possibility of people being replaced by their own work. Clegg said that for Meta, these concerns are also opportunities for the company to position metaverse technology as a way to provide employment for more people, rather than replacing them.

This selling point has already received support from some members of the US Congress. Last week, Democratic Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester from Delaware and Republican Representative Tim Walberg from Michigan proposed a bipartisan bill called the Immersive Technology for the American Workforce Act, which aims to create a five-year funding plan for the US Department of Labor, Support community schools and vocational education centers in deploying augmented reality and virtual reality technologies in the classroom.

In addition to unemployment, artificial intelligence also raises concerns about ethical, legal, and safety issues. Even OpenAI founder Sam Altman called on US senators on Tuesday for stricter regulation of artificial intelligence technology, warning that the power of artificial intelligence is enough to change society in unpredictable ways.

Clegg said that Meta has had "multiple conversations" on how to regulate the metaverse and welcomes the establishment of a regulatory framework. I think we have all learned one thing over the past 15 years, which is that there was a technological explosion first, followed by retrospective legislation, which is not good, "Clegg said. He added that artificial intelligence is clearly more urgent for regulatory agencies at the moment." The benefit of augmented reality and virtual reality technology is that we have time. We don't need to rush to do this. "(Chen Chen)