Building a Responsible Metaverse Although the internet has been one of the most The human dimensions—safety, sustainability, disruptive innovations in our lifetimes, many inclusion/diversity/accessibility, and well-being— critical elements beyond basic function and ground the design and build of the user experience. utility were afterthoughts to its developers. We must create human-centric experiences in Companies, researchers and governments have which people feel free to express their authentic and worked to retrofit privacy, security and other unique selves in a safe and respectful manner. consumer protection elements, but they have always played catch-up. If the past is a preview, Earlier this year, analysts cited hefty market valuations there are real challenges and risks that must for the metaverse—$800 billion according to be addressed to ward off dystopian outcomes Bloomberg and in the trillions according to Citi. The in this next evolution of the internet. How? By Metaverse Continuum will completely transform embedding responsibility into the very design of how we work, learn, play and live, and early adopters the metaverse. will essentially define a responsible metaverse. As companies delve into the metaverse—whether to We define responsible innovation in the design experiences, build platforms or leverage metaverse across eight dimensions: devices—they should be guided by a set of core principles and a deep understanding of the risks and The trust dimensions—privacy, security, opportunities across these eight dimensions. resilience and intellectual property rights— shape how technology, product policies and practices are designed and deployed. Getting these trust dimensions right is essential to creating a metaverse that people want to engage in and return to. 5