Expert Takes: Ibán García del Blanco

What steps can policymakers take to ensure that the metaverse is accessible to everyone?

Regardless of where someone lives, they should reliably be able to access the Internet at a reasonable speed. And we must address the massive issue of digital literacy, which is tied to the sustainability of our democratic system. For me, digital literacy is indispensable to the basic equality that is a fundamental building block of European societies. As we become increasingly digital, we must make sure no one is left behind.

Then, through encouragement or regulation, we must make sure virtual worlds are interoperable. We don’t want to create another monopoly in Europe, which is what we are currently headed towards, judging by statistics from the European Commission. More actors need to be involved—especially our own European actors. However, we can only be successful if we manage to cooperate. If not, Europe will not be an important voice in the development of the metaverse.

If we could give everyone across Europe equal metaverse access, this would provide many new possibilities to citizens. Which of these gets you the most excited?

More chances for people to work together while gathering them from different backgrounds and localities, in a manner that would be difficult in the physical world due to distance. You could also make specific experiences accessible to everybody, such as exploring a certain landscape or venturing through the halls of a museum. From a democratic perspective, the metaverse would allow political institutions to become more representative through facilitating direct contact with citizens, giving them an accessible and safe space to voice their opinions.

So you believe the metaverse is a good instrument to strengthen democracy?

Absolutely. I’m quite optimistic about the future of technology. I’m quite aware of the dangers as well, but the opportunities it provides us are amazing. I was heavily involved in the regulation of AI, and there I see potential too. We just need to take control of the technology, prevent possible harms, and channel its potential towards what is good.

In the European Parliament, we are working on a project I initiated two years ago, which will give our parliament a space in the metaverse. Once we have this, we can explore how to use the metaverse to better connect with citizens and also execute various other democratic functions of parliament virtually.

What types of commitments would you like to see from industry regarding the metaverse?

A major objective laid out by European institutions is to encourage European industry to become more active in the metaverse. We are currently quite dependent on foreign companies, which is a reflection of the same broader situation in digital industries. Even though we are part of a global economy, we need to have our own actors working on this. One advantage we have is that the metaverse industry is not yet mature, which gives us a stronger chance than we might have in some other fields.

Also, public institutions and the private sector shouldn’t be ashamed to work together. There is a prevalent idea that American entrepreneurs and the private sector there do everything on their own with no support from public institutions, but this is not true. We need to get rid of this complex and leverage our public muscle to take advantage of Europe’s uniqueness—for example, our massive network of universities.

On your last point, what is it that we have in Europe that no one else has? What would add that special European flavour to the metaverse?

I’m certain we will be the ones that push the boundaries on anything related to accessibility and equality. As Europeans, we think about quality in a collective way while pursuing economic opportunities. We can be world leaders in this.

This interview is from our first opus, released in June 2024. You can read the full opus here on our website.