Australian Metaverse Advisory Council launches to bolster education

The Australian Metaverse Advisory Council (AMAC) launched earlier this month with the aim to advocate, educate and advise Australian businesses, consumers and government departments on the benefits and challenges of the metaverse.

Angus Stevens, CEO and founder of VR and AR studio Start Beyond and AMAC chair told Digital Nation that the council will advocate the metaverse through “proactive thought leadership” pieces.

Stevens said these pieces will relate to the various facets of the metaverse which draw upon the specific areas of expertise of each of the Advisors.

“Coupled with timely reactive commentary published in response to the ongoing critical and key announcements that occur within the industry,” he said.

Stevens explained that for many organisations the challenge around the metaverse centres on being able to discern what is something that is worth immediately investing time and resources into, versus what is a speculative future state opportunity they should be aware of but isn’t obvious to an organisation’s needs.    

“Through AMAC’s thought leadership and industry commentary, organisations will get an expert practitioners' perspective on the metaverse that cuts through the hype cycle and assesses various use cases through the filters of its real-world value and commercial usefulness in the immediate and medium term,” he said.

“AMAC will provide businesses with insights that balance the tangible here-and-now opportunities as well as offering a vision and voice that guides Australia’s conversation around the pathway to an inclusive, socially positive and commercially beneficial Australian metaverse.”

For the first 12 months, Stevens said the critical aim of the council is to establish itself as a credible source for Australian enterprises.

“AMAC will achieve this by offering insights around the metaverse industry that candidly articulate its strengths and weaknesses, via an insider’s expert opinion,” he said.

He uses the example of Apple’s Vision Pro which will launch in early 2024.

“Within the AMAC group we’ve already been able to trial Apple's Vision Pro and see firsthand its capabilities and the immediate commercial benefits it brings to the industry,” he explained.

“We also have an understanding of what will be its initial limitations and the questions that organisations will need to consider when looking at if, how and when they will engage with this new device. These insights will be presented to an Australian audience through AMAC.”

Additionally, within its first year, Stevens said AMAC will begin to draw together current disparate groups that currently make up the Australian industry.

“[We will] provide resources that both organisations outside of the metaverse industry can draw upon, and which practitioners within the industry can engage with; so as to ensure that our uniquely Australian needs are articulated and our local metaverse industry expertise is both recognised and leveraged within our own country as well as the world,” he added.

Steven said Australian business leaders currently possess a “healthy tension towards the metaverse”.

“There is a desire to have data-led evidence to support the value proposition of the metaverse, coupled with a recognition that businesses need to be willing to invest in establishing the workplace of the future,” he explained.

“With an increasingly diverse remote workforce, greater regulatory and compliance requirements, coupled with societal and fiscal pressures, organisations need to support their workforce and ensure that it is resilient, adaptable and provided with the tools and skills to increase their speed to proficiency.”

He added, “Faced with these requirements, business leaders are looking to discern to what extent the metaverse can address these challenges in the immediate and near future, and what level of investment over what timeline is required to address these needs.”

Stevens said AMAC will evolve to meet the needs of the industry.

“This is a formative moment in the Australian metaverse industry and following the launch announcement at SXSW Sydney the response from the academic community, enterprise, and the industry itself has been overwhelmingly positive,” he said.

“It is a dynamic time, a challenging time, and one which AMAC is excited to face; as we shape the conversation and build an Australian metaverse industry that positively impacts our society, is inclusive and generates growth for the Australian economy.”