Can the Metaverse Bring Us Closer to Wildlife? | Gautam Shah | TED

I'm a total wildlife nerd.

But I’m also a career technologist,

and it took me 20 years to figure out how to combine the two

towards wildlife conservation.

But I think I finally got it.

Technology has come so far in that time in generating data

about our planet and its other non-human inhabitants.

For example, there's a satellite in space

that's dedicated to tracking the movements of hundreds of species.

We can pluck DNA samples from rivers, soil and dung

to identify individual animals.

And whales and seals are swimming around right now with sensors on,

collecting ocean data for us.

Now, this data is incredibly valuable to the science of protecting the planet.

But I think it could be even more valuable.

What if we use that data to give wild animals

a unique digital identity that's recognizable by humans?

Now why would we do this?

Well, most of us have a digital identity that we use to communicate

and socialize with each other.

But Albert in St. Louis, for example,

has no way to create a connection with an orangutan in Borneo.

How can we expect him to empathize with its protection?

If we want to preserve all life on Earth,

we need to create relationships with all life on Earth.

And relationships are built upon recognizing someone's unique identity.

So maybe giving one to that orangutan could create a bond with Albert

that helps them both in the real world.

Now, this is not as far-fetched as it seems.

The technology and the data exist to do it.

But it's not enough to just create the identities.

They need a place to come alive and be found by humans.

Somewhere that creates an immersive and active way

to stay engaged.

Well, if current predictions come true,

most of our socializing, work and play will shift to games,

virtual spaces and yes, the metaverse.

And that's where stories will be told and relationships built.

So for every human avatar

that is interacting or consuming in these spaces,

let’s have the same for Mweituria the elephant,

Ataia the Jaguar, Fio the orangutan

and hundreds of thousands more.

And the events of their lives, as supported by the data,

can be recreated digitally.

That might be the health of Fio,

the migration of Mweituria,

a newborn cub to Ataia.

And these events, and others,

create the moments

for people to feel the space to feel emotionally bonded.

Not because they all of a sudden want to,

but because they now have access that they never did before.

Some will use that space to connect directly

with orangutan researchers in Borneo.

Others will identify new patterns in elephant movements.

Some will learn about deforestation by actually witnessing it.

And we’ll monetize this soon-to-be-trillion-dollar sector

to help finance further science and habitat protection.

Which means that virtual worlds can directly benefit the real world

as opposed to being detached from it.

And we've been experimenting with this

using the real data of animals like Fio and others.

And we found that

while our vision is still many years away from being realized,

the platforms to make it happen already exist.

Microsoft's Flight Simulator,

it includes two trillion of the world's trees.

It could include all the world's wildlife.

Adidas recently included five GPS-tracked animals as athletes in its fitness app

for its users to compete against.

It could include thousands more.

And Fortnite recently held a virtual concert ... with Travis Scott.

They transported over 27 million of their users

to a fictional world to witness that concert.

Let's hold the next one in the Amazon rainforest.

Imagine if Ataia the Jaguar walks by during the show.

Now, I'll admit I have fears that some of what I'm advocating

could create a greater divide between people and the natural world.

If I could, I'd just pick everybody up,

I’d plop them in Borneo, and I’d have them spend an hour with Fio instead.

But Fio's natural world is literally dying in front of our eyes.

We need a seismic shift in how we create relationships with other species.

Otherwise, yeah, the next 100 years of wildlife conservation

will continue to be an uphill, losing battle.

It's only a matter of time before some version of the metaverse

changes the way we spend our time and engage with each other.

And however you may feel about that,

we have to make sure that Mweituria, Ataia, Fio

and millions more animals are included,

play a role and benefit.

And not get left behind.

Thank you.

(Applause)