Interview with Philip Rosedale on the Metaverse, Mixed Reality, and AI

Okay, picture this: Just the other day, out of the blue, I find myself hanging with Philip Rosedale. Like, THE Philip Rosedale, back in action as CTO of Linden Lab. Talk about a wild ride for someone who’s never stepped foot in a metaverse office before, right?

Honestly, meeting him was kinda surreal. Philip? Total gem. Super friendly, plus his brain’s like an idea factory. Couldn’t stop throwing out cool thoughts. I walked away feeling like I’d just chugged an inspirational smoothie. By the way, having chats with geniuses? Absolutely my favorite pastime.

Since we totally hit it off, I figured, why not share the vibe with everyone? Snagged a brief public interview with him — yeah, it was kinda spontaneous, just tossed him some questions about tech trends in our 10-minute window before he dashed to his next gig. Covered everything from mixed reality to AI, and of course, the elusive “metaverse” creature. His take? Tech isn’t there yet for the metaverse mainstream leap. So, go wild for the innovators instead. Makes sense why VRChat’s buzzin’ over Horizon Worlds, huh?

Anyway, check the video below for the raw footage. Or skim through a transcript if reading’s more your jam. You’ll probably catch my fanboy excitement there. Can’t wait to do a full-on interview someday! Dive in!

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Tony: Hey, world! Hanging here with the metaverse legend, Philip Rosedale.

Philip: Yep, great to be here.

Tony: First time at Second Life’s HQ! Mind-blowing for a newbie like me. Let’s see… Metaverse. No one says that word anymore. Is it dead? A fad, maybe? What’s your take?

Philip: No way, it’s alive! Loads of people still jamming in worlds like Second Life and VRChat. It’s like, not mainstream yet, just like Second Life. But it’s got potential. We need better tech—headsets that don’t squish your face and blur your vision. So yeah, tech’s gotta catch up.

Tony: Exactly! As creators, we can’t fix headset woes, but what can little ol’ us do in this space? Not talking bigwigs like Meta, just regular folks.

Philip: The magic’s in creativity. The weird, wild ideas keep these worlds ticking. Second Life thrived on that chaos. Regular office meetings in VR? Boring. But strange artsy events? That’s where the gold is. We gotta keep fostering that.

Tony: True, true. Virtual worlds can be shelters from this oversimplified world. Let’s shift gears. Mixed reality — thoughts on socializing through that lens?

Philip: First, stop blocking our eyes! Those headsets make you feel like a blindfolded poker player. Creepy! There’s progress, but no one’s nailed the social contract stuff. Imagine trading info like a digital handshake. Privacy’s key here. Nobody’s thinking about it, but it’s huge.

Tony: Yup, privacy in tech is the wild west. Last curveball — connecting people via AI buddies: cool or nah?

Philip: Tricky territory. Human bonds are precious, not something to pawn off to AI. Sure, AI can help us connect, but substituting that… dangerous. Society needs a say here – ethics over economics.

Tony: Totally agree. Inspiration time – any parting words to stir up creators out there?

Philip: Yeah, AI can spice up avatars, make them real deal expressive. That’s the future frontier. Imagine avatars that mimic your face to a T! That’s the kind of innovation we need.

Tony: Philip, thanks a million for the chat. And thank YOU for reading. Catch you on the flip side!

Philip: Cheers, it’s been a blast!