Colombia became one of the first countries in the world last week to host a court hearing in Meta’s metaverse despite Zuckerberg’s virtual reality division losing money.
Using Horizon Workrooms, a Meta platform that allows teams to collaborate virtually, lawmakers in the South American nation held a two-hour hearing.
In the meeting, Colombian lawyers wore virtual headsets and appeared as computer-generated avatars on YouTube.
The virtual meeting participants said the hearing—in which a complainant attempted to sue the police—was a success. A magistrate of the Magdalena court said, “It is essential for judicial proceedings to be facilitated and expedited through the use of information technology,” which enables and expedites the execution of justice.
It was not a good idea for everyone who watched the streaming: some complained that seeing cartoon-like figures was absurd. “I feel it takes away from the seriousness,” a viewer said. “Is it acceptable for me to see myself as a dinosaur character?”
A Chinese court held a virtual hearing last September using Meta’s technology-it was the first time Colombian lawmakers held a virtual hearing.
As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, virtual court hearings and meetings became the norm.
As governments imposed lockdowns worldwide, professionals used Zoom’s video conferencing platform to meet, sending the company’s stock and market cap soaring.
Metaverse: Getting Started
An unaccustomed Texas lawyer got stuck as a kitten when he couldn’t change a video filter due to the sudden overreliance on technology.
The situation is different when everyone is represented as cartoonish digital characters during an entire meeting.
Its metaverse Reality Labs lost a whopping $4.28 billion in 2022 Q4. Although Facebook has poured billions into metaverse technology, it hasn’t been a financial success.
Zuckerberg, however, has pledged to invest more in the space. “AI is driving our roadmap today, and, over the longer term, the metaverse,” he said last month.