In an interview published on Wednesday, Meta Platforms Inc.’s META Mark Zuckerberg discussed his ambitious vision for artificial intelligence, the future of virtual reality, how Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, now rebranded as X, rekindled his aspiration to build a ubiquitous platform, and more.
What Happened: Around this time last year, Meta and Zuckerberg were facing a completely different set of challenges. People were unsure if their advertising business would bounce back, and spending billions on a futuristic metaverse seemed questionable.
Additionally, it was uncertain if Musk would acquire Twitter, but he did, eventually leading Zuckerberg to create his rival platform, Threads.
Back then, no one could have predicted a showdown between these two billionaires.
However, things have changed drastically and dramatically since then, and this interview with The Verge has shed some light on most of them.
During the interview, Zuckerberg highlighted that the ordeal of Musk acquiring Twitter reminded him of his old aspirations of building a similar platform, eventually leading to the launch of “Twitter killer” Threads.
Here’s what Zuckerberg talked about in the interview-
The Quest for AI Integration
Zuckerberg believes that AI’s potential has only been scratched at the surface so far. In his words, “I actually think a lot of the stuff that we’ve done today is actually still pretty basic. So I think there’s a lot of upside, and I think we need to experiment with it to see what ends up being useful.”
He highlighted a crucial aspect often overlooked – the integration of AI into our everyday lives. To make AI truly transformative, it must become an integral part of our experiences, seamlessly woven into our daily routines. For instance, instead of having AI confined to abstract chat interfaces, Zuckerberg envisions AI living within the environments it aims to improve.
Social Overtakes Gaming In VR
The conversation also touched on the evolving role of VR. Zuckerberg pointed out that social experiences have overtaken gaming as the primary use case for VR. Platforms like Rec Room, VRChat, Horizon, and Roblox have already begun redefining how we interact with others in the virtual world.
It is worth noting that, unlike Apple Inc.’s AAPL Vision Pro, the Meta Quest lineup primarily focused on gaming use cases.
Competition With Apple Vision Pro
Zuckerberg doesn’t seem perturbed by competition either. He discussed Apple’s entry into the VR space, indicating that both companies play different games. While Apple aims to sell high-priced devices, Meta’s goal is broader — to build a community and make VR accessible to billions of people.
The Open Ecosystem Vision
Zuckerberg envisions a more open ecosystem for Meta’s platforms in the future. He drew parallels to the evolution of computing platforms, noting that each generation is a closed integrated stack and a more open one.
However, he acknowledges that it’s unclear which approach will ultimately prevail.
The Meta CEO said that Apple established dominance in the smartphone realm despite there being more Android phones. Economic activity and the center of gravity favored iPhones. He believes that in the world of augmented and virtual reality, Meta can play a different role.
Optimism About Augmented And Virtual Reality
The tech mogul expressed optimism about both AR and VR. He sees AR glasses as the future equivalent of mobile phones, something people wear while moving about in the world.
In contrast, he likened VR to a workstation or TV, reserved for immersive and compute-intensive experiences. He emphasizes that the goal isn’t to have people walking the streets with VR headsets.
The Future Of Threads And Decentralization
Zuckerberg remains determined to make Threads a platform a billion people use despite reports indicating a drop in early user engagement.
He’s particularly enthusiastic about decentralized social media, believing it has the potential to change the balance of power between platforms and their users for the better.
Editor’s Note: Artificial intelligence was used as a secondary aid in writing this story.
Image Credits – Shutterstock
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