Introduction of Metaverse

Trends and technologies at the Gartner IT Symposium

These trends are gaming, digital people, virtual spaces, shared experiences, tokenized assets and spatial computing. Gartner defines a metaverse as "the next level of interaction in the virtual and physical worlds." Metaverse technologies enable people to replicate or enhance their physical activities by moving or extending physical activities into a virtual world or by transforming the physical world. "Although widespread use of metaverse technologies is still more than a decade away, practical opportunities already exist. For example, companies can use them in employee onboarding, sales enablement, higher education, medical and military training, and immersive shopping experiences," said Marty Resnick, VP analyst at Gartner.

Despite the hype, the adoption of metaverse technologies is still nascent and fragmented. Gartner recommends being cautious about investing in a particular metaverse because it is too early to determine which investments will be profitable in the long term. In addition, the ethical, financial and reputational risks of early investments are not yet fully known. "Use this time to learn, explore and prepare for a metaverse with limited implementation," Resnick recommends. "Review these six trends for opportunities that could benefit your organization."