The metaverse has been used by a Colombian court to hold a legal trial, paving the way towards the global adoption of the nascent space.
Court participants appeared as avatars in a virtual courtroom during the two-and-a-hour session conducted by Colombia’s Magdalena Administrative court.
In the full-length trial video, we can see the presiding judge’s avatar Magistrate Maria Quinones Triana dressed in an outfit approximating the typical black legal robes.
“It felt more genuine than a video conversation,” Quiones said in an interview with a local news station, adding that the metaverse experience was “amazing.” In comparison to hearings conducted over zoom, Quinones said that “Many individuals switch off their cameras, you have no clue what they’re doing.”
According to Quinones via Reuters, this particular case was initially filed by a regional transportation union against the police but will now partially be resolved in the nascent space, including final judgement.
“This is a scholarly exercise to demonstrate that it is feasible… where everyone consents to it, the court can continue to do things in the metaverse,” she added.
The COVID-19 pandemic changed a lot. From increasing the number of remote roles in companies to lessening the number of times in-person meetings are held.
Now, meetings are held on Zoom or Google Meet but Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is well on his way to altering the way meetings are held by bringing his metaverse ambition to life.
However, the metaverse isn’t without its critics. And although it’s still being perfected by multiple tech companies including Microsoft, the metaverse has the potential to become revolutionary.
For now, the nascent space still has a long way to go before reaching global adoption. The court trial in Colombia wasn’t without its critics either, after 70% of viewers indicated their disapproval, said Quinones.
While the metaverse was initially supposed to change the way we work, play and socialise, it is now gradually making its way into our judicial system and if the space is perfected, could see more courts around the globe adopt the process.
Isa Muhammad is a writer and video game journalist covering many aspects of entertainment media including the film industry. He's steadily writing his way to the sharp end of journalism and enjoys staying informed. If he's not reading, playing video games or catching up on his favourite TV series, then he's probably writing about them.
