It’s that same sort of exuberance you felt when you first heard about the metaverse. The fulfillment of digital utopia, being in touch with everyone on planet Earth through expansive online metaverses, creating prosperous virtual societies? It sounded revolutionary. Now, look at Horizon Worlds. Clunky avatars, digital tumbleweeds, and a pervasive feeling of… blah. It’s not just a disappointment; it’s a symptom of a bigger problem: Mark Zuckerberg's vision for our digital future is fundamentally flawed.

Who Gets to Build Our Reality?

Think about it. We were promised a metaverse, a decentralized creative utopia. But what we got instead was a centralized, corporate-controlled echo chamber — one whose sole purpose was to sell us more stuff. It’s essentially all art, all the time decided upon by King Louis XIV. Elon Musk's comparison of Zuckerberg to the Sun King wasn't just a funny quip. It cuts to the heart of the issue. It's about control, not connection.

Zuckerberg’s metaverse failure isn’t just a business blunder — it’s a failure of imagination. He appears to think that if we just throw enough billions of dollars at a problem, we can be assured of success. Yet the metaverse was never a technological conundrum — it was a human one. What we knew was that it had to be a home created by them, for them. Rather, it was designed by Meta, of Meta, for Meta.

The internet as we knew it in its heyday grew under the principles of being open, collaborative, and independent. Everyone was a creator. Now, as privatizing walled gardens like Substack demonstrate, Big Tech wants to wall it off, monetize every interaction, and control what we see and do. Zuckerberg’s conception of the metaverse was the latest leap into this technocratic dream. Others viewed it as a gilded cage dressed up as a digital utopia.

From Metaverse to AGI; Same Playbook?

Now, Zuckerberg has pivoted. The metaverse is (not so quietly) being pushed aside, and AGI is the new shiny object. Meta is doing the same, throwing billions at AI research, poaching talent with offers of salaries equal to the entire budget of a successful startup. The purpose? “Personal superintelligence” – an AI-powered assistant that would take care of all your life’s details. Sounds convenient, right? Maybe even a little… creepy?

Here's where the unintended consequences kick in. What do you get when a single corporation monopolizes the AI that determines your agenda, your spending habits, your social circle. What if that company has a history of choosing profit over privacy and control over connection? That is the troubling question we should all be asking.

Zuckerberg's past actions don't inspire confidence. Remember the endless privacy scandals? The Lemmings-style copying of competitors such as TikTok and Snapchat? It's not about innovation; it's about domination. The pattern is clear: identify a trend, copy it aggressively, and then use Meta's massive resources to crush the competition. Do we really want this kind of leadership driving the creation of AGI? This new technology has the potential to radically change what it means to be human.

Can We Afford Another Missed Opportunity?

AI is no longer a futuristic fantasy. It’s arrived, it’s not virtual, and it’s revolutionizing everything. We need to be having serious conversations about its ethical implications, its potential for misuse, and who gets to control its development. Plus, leaving it to just one company—in particular one led by the likes of Zuckerberg—is a recipe for disaster.

  • The Stakes Are High: AI could solve some of humanity's biggest challenges, but it could also exacerbate existing inequalities and create new ones.
  • Collaboration is Key: We need a diverse range of voices at the table, including researchers, ethicists, policymakers, and, most importantly, users.
  • Open Source Matters: Meta releasing its large language models as open source is a good start, but it's not enough. We need to ensure that AI development remains transparent and accessible to all.

Let the metaverse folly be a warning. It’s a fitting reminder that technology in and of itself isn’t the answer. We need vision, empathy, and a commitment to building a digital future that benefits everyone, not just a select few. Zuck might have had his home run moment with the metaverse—he blew it. Let’s avoid allowing him to fumble the future of AI too. Together, let’s call for a more open, user-focused, and responsible way to create our new digital universe. Because frankly, the stakes are too damn high not to.