A Cisco Futurist Talks the Future of Human-Machine Interactions

 A Cisco Futurist talks the future of Human-Machine Interactions  

Human-Machine Interactions of the Future: Unpopular Opinions [Part 1]  By Annie Hardy

This is part 1 of a 3-part blog series on a Cisco futurist’s perspectives on some buzzy terms and technology trends.

At Cisco, I’m responsible for looking at the future of human-machine interaction. The future of human-machine interaction spans an exploration into all kinds of futures — from the future of trust and higher education to the future of quantum internet and IoT. And when looking at, and projecting out likely futures, there is no lack of differing perspectives, conflicting information, and challenges to the groupthink that is driving our companies and cultures in certain directions.

I recently listened to the Money in the Metaverse episode of Azeem Azhar’s Exponential View podcast, which addresses blockchain, cryptocurrency, and the Metaverse. The podcast’s two speakers, Azhar and Citi’s Rohit Ghose, discussed a couple of perspectives that I’ve also expressed and advocated for within my circle – opinions that have been considered unpopular ones.

In this series, I’d like to share some of my own perspectives and opinions on Web3, the Metaverse, and the future of human-machine interaction. Perhaps together we can challenge and grow and ultimately all end up better prepared for the Internet that will actually develop in the next decade.

Defining terms for the future of human-machine interactions

A natural part of my role and responsibility has revolved around the Metaverse, which we’ve been actively engaged in exploring and building the infrastructure for over the past several years. For many, the Metaverse is a mysterious concept that brings to mind virtual reality gaming and blocky Roblox avatars. Some identify Second Life as the original Metaverse, with a robust GDP worth a shocking $500MM.

It makes sense for me to share a few definitions here to set the stage for the next installments in this blog series on human-machine interactions in the future.

What is the Metaverse?

Definitions of the Metaverse vary, but these are some of my favorite interpretations:

“The metaverse is the moment in time where our digital life is worth more to us than our physical life.”

— Shaan Puri, former Twitch Manager

“The ‘Metaverse Continuum…’ is a spectrum of digitally enhanced worlds, realities, and business models poised to revolutionize life and enterprise in the next decade.” ... '