The United Arab Emirates, which already owns the world’s tallest building and has embarked on a daring Mars mission, aspires to be a forerunner in the metaverse’s depths.
The UAE’s economy ministry was reported to be setting up shop inside the immersive virtual world that is currently taking shape in a project unveiled inside Dubai’s dazzling Museum of the Future.
Metaverse is a network of virtual worlds intended to be an extension of the real world
The UAE’s economy minister acknowledged that the metaverse is currently in “test mode,” but that users will be able to game, work, and study there soon.
Abdulla bin Touq Al-Marri was speaking at the inaugural Dubai Metaverse Assembly, which was held at the museum, and has a unique ring-shaped design flanked by Arabic calligraphy.
It will add $4 billion to the annual GDP and 40,000 jobs to its workforce by 2030
Representatives of tech titans collaborated with entrepreneurs and developers to investigate the potential of the metaverse, a network of digital spaces intended to be an extension of the real world.
Dubai hopes to attract 1,000 blockchain-focused enterprises by easing visa requirements for independent contractors, business owners, and creatives as it competes to become one of the world’s top ten metaverse economies.
“In the last couple of years we’ve seen investments, we’ve seen companies move in, and with the changes of the (visa) regime… we see the talent coming in,” Al Marri told AFP in an interview. “We trained our employees to really immerse themselves in the metaverse, use the metaverse and engage with the Generation Z that is going to come,” he added.
The UAE, which has a history of bold projects including the 830-meter (2,723-foot) Burj Khalifa, hopes the metaverse can add $4 billion to annual GDP and 40,000 jobs to its workforce by 2030.