The Future is Now: My Mind-Blowing Chat with Zuck in the Metaverse

An extraordinary conversation between Lex Fridman and Mark Zuckerberg:

I recently had the incredible opportunity to interview Mark Zuckerberg inside Meta's groundbreaking new Metaverse. As crazy as it sounds, it felt like we were actually sitting together in the same room, even though we were physically hundreds of miles apart. The experience completely blew my mind and left me convinced that the Metaverse is the future. Let me walk you through what happened.

When I first put on the VR headset, I was transported into a simple darkened room with Mark sitting right across from me. I was immediately struck by how real everything looked - the walls, furniture, even Mark himself appeared photorealistic. As we started chatting, it dawned on me that this was no normal video call - the 3D depth, subtle facial expressions and spatial audio made it feel like Mark was truly present with me.

During our conversation, Mark shed light on how Meta pulled off this incredible realism. Each avatar is based on detailed 3D scans of a person's face, capturing skin textures, expressions and movements. This data is then encoded and transmitted in real-time, allowing avatars to mirror facial cues and emotions. Even small details like eye wrinkles and asymmetry are preserved, creating an uncanny sense of realness.

Make no mistake, the implications of this are huge. As Mark pointed out, being able to feel physically together no matter where you are in the world unlocks all sorts of new human connection. Intimate conversations, sharing experiences with distant loved ones, or just hanging out with friends - all of this is now possible in the Metaverse.

But with new technology comes new philosophical questions. If we can bring people together remotely with such realism, how does that change relationships and identity? Can deceased loved ones live on forever as digital beings? Mark acknowledged these complex issues, but emphasized a need for more research before making any conclusions.

Shifting gears, we talked about Meta's progress with AI personas you can actually have natural conversations with. Mark painted a vision for AI that empowers people rather than acting as one all-powerful being. He demonstrated some of their internal test characters - a Snoop Dogg avatar, a dungeon master AI, even historical figures like Marcus Aurelius!

According to Mark, accurately replicating real people with AI is still extremely difficult. But we can expect more digital AI personalities throughout 2022, with the ability for anyone to create their own coming next year. This effort includes open sourcing key models like Meta's LLaMA language system, which Mark confirmed they are already working on the next major version of.

Returning to the Metaverse, Mark reiterated that its superpower is breaking down physical barriers. Unlike video calls, you genuinely feel you're together with someone - and that presence unlocks amazing new opportunities. As one example, Mark suggested the Metaverse could revolutionize remote work, allowing people to collaborate face-to-face from anywhere.

Throughout our conversation, I kept getting blown away by just how real everything felt. At times I literally forgot I was in a simulation! Mark agreed that blending physical and digital worlds represents the next frontier of computing at Meta. The goal is to deliver the social intimacy of being present, while unlocking the infinite potential of technology - and that's just getting started.

As we wrapped up, I thanked Mark for giving me such an unbelievable peek into the future. The Metaverse breaks down geographic limitations and lets you transport yourself anywhere instantly. To me, that is incredibly powerful - it means having deep conversations with anyone, anytime. Mark left me convinced that experiences like this will profoundly reshape society.

My mind is still spinning from stepping into the Metaverse with Mark Zuckerberg. While there are complex questions to grapple with, one thing is certain - this technology is groundbreaking and generates a feeling of connection I've never experienced before. I for one am thrilled to see how the Metaverse evolves and transforms human communication in the coming years. The future is now...and wow, is it exciting!

So that was my virtual rendezvous with Zuck. What do you think about the Metaverse and the crazy innovations happening in this space? Let me know your thoughts!