Dubai is on the edge of becoming the first city in the world to be in the metaverse.

By Xische Editorial, April 26, 2022

The mechanics of government have never been entirely straightforward. Statecraft can be messy. Yet, the difficulty of governance hasn’t stopped truly remarkable innovations from taking place. This is especially true in our age of technological expansion, and the trends have been on full display at the World Government Summit in Dubai that just wrapped up last month. From building cities of the future to accelerating the global economic recovery, the smartest minds descended on Dubai to tackle pressing issues facing global governance. Perhaps the most important point of discussion is how governments can establish themselves in the metaverse.  

Mohammad Al Gergawi, UAE Minister of Cabinet Affairs, opened the World Government Summit this year with an enlightening discussion about the impact of web3 on governance. From the metaverse to cryptocurrencies, new technologies using web3 protocols have a profound effect on how forward-thinking governments are navigating governance questions of the future. “The speed of change in the world is always bigger than expected, which makes the study of the future, flexibility of governments, and speed of decision-making all the more important now than ever,” Gergawi explained.

Central to many (if not all) discussions at the World Government Summit this year is that technological breakthroughs are leading to unprecedented opportunities for cities. While the global economy might be stalled at the present moment, the pace of change means that the horizon is brighter than ever. Just look at the data. In the past two years, the digital economy multiplied eight times to reach $4 trillion, online education grew 11 times, and the time required for developing vaccines was shortened from six years to 100 days. The World Government Summit proved that it is a vital forum to evaluate the changes that will shape our future. 

Also at the World Government Summit, the Dubai Municipality revealed ambitious plans to integrate the metaverse into its governance portfolio. While the concepts are still new and might sound esoteric, the metaverse is fast becoming a reality. Dubai is eager to be on the bleeding edge of this technology and is making clear strides to becoming the first city in the world to be in the metaverse. The metaverse, according to Arabian Business, is a network of realistic 3D digital worlds built within a virtual-reality space where people can interact with computer-generated environments and other users. 

The metaverse is built through an interweaving of elements of social media, augmented reality, virtual reality, video games, cryptocurrencies, and other advanced technologies. A city like Dubai is the perfect nexus point for these converging technologies. This was echoed in the official announcement of Dubai’s One Human Reality metaverse project at the World Government Summit. Dubai Municipality Director General, Dawood Abdul Rahman Al Hajri said of the project that “One Human Reality is the meeting point for the integration of two worlds: the metaverse and the world we are currently living in together.” He added that “cities benefit from integrating big data. With the help of the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence, city leaders will be able to build a digital infrastructure enabling us to access this world in a new way.” 

Cities are growing at one of the fastest rates in human history. Internet connectivity has never been greater or more important. Cities that are preparing for the challenges of tomorrow are moving into the metaverse today. While the technology might be just getting off the ground, the rate of innovation is bound to exponentially increase in the near future. The purely human-centric city of tomorrow will have a major metaverse component. Dubai is building that before our eyes and creating a blueprint for other cities to follow.