New scenarios of work in the Metaverse

An article by Francesco Berlucchi

We are living through a crucial phase in the history of digital. A moment of transition, in which the incessant development of technology offers hitherto unexplored terrain. In this context, the metaverse is the next step in the evolution of the internet. To really understand what is happening and what will happen, the Humane Technology Lab, the laboratory of Università Cattolica that investigates the complex relationship between technology and human experience, has organized a series of meetings to analyze the relationship between the latter and the metaverse. By choosing to do so through direct confrontation between those who are on the front lines driving change. "If today the web is two-dimensional and we look at it from the outside, in the metaverse the web becomes a three-dimensional experience in which we can enter and be present," explains Giuseppe Riva, director of HT Lab, on the pages of Login, the Corriere della Sera insert dedicated to delving into trends and news in digital reality. "If today the web is clearly separated from the real world, that is, we experience it inside a browser, in the metaverse the web merges with the real world. What we do in the physical world affects the experience in the virtual world, and vice versa."

Called to introduce the meeting, Daniele Manca, deputy director of Corriere della Sera, stimulated the students who packed the classroom overlooking Via Lanzone for the occasion. "In a recent article in The Atlantic, which I recommend you read, Megan Garber argues that we already live in the metaverse," says Manca. "Over the past 20 years, to some extent, technology, particularly the internet, has deconstructed pre-existing communities and created new ones all the time. Precisely for this reason, we thought it was important for Corriere della Sera to collaborate on a series of meetings that makes a clear fact clear: today we think we are controlling technology and being at the dawn of a new era, but in reality we are already in it». The assist is immediately picked up by Professor Riva, who responds with an app found in most smartphones around the world. "Think of Instagram," Riva says. "His great success is also linked to the fact that, on Instagram, it is possible to be different from yourself. I'm referring, for example, to filters: each of us feels imperfect, and the possibility of having a digital double where imperfection disappears is a very strong temptation. One of the goals of the metaverse is to achieve a complete fusion between the physical and digital worlds. Soon it will be possible for each of us to have a digital twin. The risk is to give the latter the task of realizing what we have not been or are not in our physical life. For psychologists, there will be a lot of work to do (smiles, ed.)".

The heart of the first meeting is the relationship between the metaverse and the world of work. What are the skills required today and the positions to work in the metaverse? "An infinity," replies Christian Colonna, Metaverse eXtended Reality Design Lead at Accenture, who is coordinating all metaverse activities for the strategy consulting firm. "If we were to think of all the professions that the metaverse has created or reinvented, there are so many. In the metaverse, you are no longer a user, you are a participant. You enter the three-dimensional world. Therefore, all those professionals who come from the world of cinema and theater are important, as well as those related to the care of places, and therefore the interior designers who design architecture for the metaverse. And then, undoubtedly, the whole part that pertains to the world of psychology. Entering a three-dimensional world means living it, inhabiting it, and dealing with all the social dynamics for which the skills of a psychologist are essential. But that's not all: 3D modeling, the content creation of digital content, the development of platforms."

It is therefore important to have soft skills, to be able to read the context and to be able to get in touch with the skills of others. "A key theme is to bring companies closer to these new technologies," replies Ivan Montis, secretary general of Web3 Alliance, a consortium that brings together the main companies that are working with web3 (metaverse, virtual reality, artificial intelligence). "Gaps in some infrastructure aspects are still evident, for example connections are not as fast as they should be. However, Italian companies are creative and resilient, and in a pioneering phase, when it comes to laying the foundations, these two characteristics are fundamental. Perhaps it will be necessary to apply what has been done in the worlds of fashion and food made in Italy: to give a denotation recognized all over the world. Certainly, the professions related to process dynamics and verification will disappear, but the more human aspects will be enhanced: the creative and relational skills. Let's think about the medical field: we will not be able to do without the nurse, but we will be able to have immediate instructions from an emergency room on how to quickly use a defibrillator, in order to save a person's life."

"The first way to get the metaverse into a company is to find its usefulness," says Colonna. "We are noticing that companies, as a first step, are looking to apply the metaverse internally, for processes such as employer branding, onboarding, recruiting and training. An interesting example is that of H&M, which has signed a capsule collection entirely designed in the metaverse. Up to the production of the garments, everything was made digitally using metahuman models, with interesting implications also in terms of sustainability. At Accenture, on the other hand, before the pandemic, we purchased 60,000 headsets, which were distributed to all new hires for onboarding conducted on an immersive platform. It was a very effective experiment, both to learn the values of the company and to establish the first human relationships."

"After reading that Meta and Apple are laying off thousands of employees, I immediately checked on their websites what professionals they are looking for," says Montis. "Out of about 480 positions opened by Facebook, at least a third are augmented reality technicians and engineers. Apple is looking for 175. We need skills related to infrastructure, with the ability to dialogue, to act as bridges between different worlds. In today's world, the vast majority of employees and contractors in a company are not located in the same place. This is a dynamic that will be further encouraged, thanks to the metaverse: there will be more collaboration, and therefore work will improve. Of course, life will not be easy for bosses, because they need transversal skills and modern managerial skills."

To better understand not only what awaits us, but also the reality we are already experiencing, we must avoid vertical divisions between disciplines and integrate different visions. "You have to use a multidisciplinary approach," explains Riva. "And certainly this is one of the strengths of our university, thanks to the collaboration of linguists, sociologists, jurists, economists and psychologists. Only in this way is it possible to analyze the relationship between technology and our daily experience." The next appointment of "Metaverse Tuesdays", on 4 April, again at the Milan headquarters of the Catholic University, will explore "The prospects of training in the Metaverse". This time with Nicola Ravarini, founder & CEO of VRZONE and Andrea Gaggioli, professor of Psychology at Cattolica. The perspectives of immersive teaching will be investigated, starting from the analysis of the needs and expectations of teachers and students.