We had the opportunity to have a wide ranging conversation with virtual reality pioneer Philip Rosedale discussing the pros and cons of immersive virtual collaboration versus in-person interaction. While VR headsets promise new ways to meet and work together, issues of inclusivity, safety and realistic communication mean we still have a long way to go.
Rosedale sees collaboration as central to his work, from founding Second Life to new projects like the in-real-life lab IRL415. However, he argues today’s VR falls short in enabling the “genuine deep human” connection possible face-to-face. Problems include headset discomfort, homogeneous willing users, and inability to read nonverbal cues from unrealistic avatars. He suggests focusing first on conveying body language well enough for remote recognition, before tackling philosophical issues of virtual embodiment.
Decentralized systems can efficiently take us “mortally wrong,” said David Orban, centralized control risks oppression. He argues we need enough diverse AIs to avoid an all-powerful oracle, but also regulation against harm. On centralization, Rosedale leans open but with caveats. Crypto's unchecked free market concentrates wealth dangerously. Community co-regulation matters more than technical details.
Rosedale's blockchain project FairShare combats inequality by redistributing funds from richer to poorer users. Unlike Austrian economics or trickle-down, it recognizes unregulated trades inherently concentrate wealth. Continuous redistribution counters this tendency, providing a gentler alternative to blunt tools of wars or revolution. Rosedale suggests historical debt-based mutual credit better serves communities than scarce commodities like gold or crypto.
Legal recognition of digital identity and property remains unsolved. Rosedale sees crypto’s trustless irreversible transactions as deeply flawed for community governance. Virtual worlds need enough participants to evolve new standards and balance decentralization. In the meantime we risk the extremes of centralized control versus decentralized anarchy. How can we build an inclusive, safe and just virtual society?
While immersive VR collaboration holds promise, achieving genuine human connection digitally requires confronting challenges of technology, philosophy and governance. Rosedale offers thought-provoking critiques and alternatives on centralization, inequality and identity. His call for more diverse, moderate and community-focused approaches provides constructive perspective as we shape the emerging metaverse. Responsible innovation balancing human needs with technological capability is imperative, and must be the basis of sound business decisions.
