Is the Metaverse dead? Why is #OpenAI building jewelry? What happens when AI becomes more emotionally present than people?

Today on Digital Disruption, we’re joined by CEO of Future Dynamics and author, Cathy Hackl.

Cathy is a globally recognized tech and gaming executive, futurist, and keynote speaker specializing in spatial computing, AI, virtual worlds, and gaming platform strategy. She is the co-CEO of Future Dynamics, a spatial computing and AI solutions firm, and a top LinkedIn tech voice. Known as the “Godmother of the Metaverse,” she created the Tech Intimacy Scale and is currently researching the intersection of AI, love, and relationships. Cathy has held leadership roles at Amazon Web Services, Magic Leap, and HTC VIVE, and has guided major brands like Nike, Walmart, Ralph Lauren, Louis Vuitton, and Clinique through their emerging tech and gaming strategies. She has spoken at events hosted by Harvard Business School, MIT, CES, SXSW, and the World Economic Forum. Named one of Ad Age’s Leading Women of 2023 and featured on Forbes Latam’s cover for its 100 Most Powerful Women issue, Hackl is also listed among Vogue Business's 100 Innovators. She hosts Adweek’s TechMagic podcast and contributes to Vogue Singapore. In 2022, she made history as the first human to ring the NASDAQ opening bell both physically and in avatar form on live TV.

Cathy Hackl sits down with Geoff Nielson for an honest conversation about where technology is headed and what’s really happening with spatial computing, AI hardware, and the future of human connection. Cathy unpacks the evolution of the metaverse and why she believes we’re moving toward something bigger: the spatial web. She shares her first-hand experience with Google Beam, a revolutionary 3D communication technology that doesn’t require a headset. This episode dives into OpenAI’s push into hardware, why it’s a data play, and what that means for your privacy. Emotional technologies like Apple Vision Pro and what they mean for memory, grief, and connection, and the future of dating and relationships in a world filled with AI agents and romantic chatbots.

In this episode:

0:00 Intro

1:00 Is the Metaverse dead or just renamed?

3:00 Google Beam: 3D communication without a headset

5:00 The Apple moment: reaching for a virtual object

7:00 Dating, job interviews & presence in 3D

9:00 Will this replace video calls?

11:00 Apple vision pro

13:00 Memory preservation & future family photos

15:00 OpenAI’s hardware push

17:00 AI Agents and who controls your data

20:00 From ChatGPT to therapy bots

22:00 Emotional manipulation, mental health & ai advice

24:00 Who owns the virtual air around you?

27:00 Virtual real estate, annotations & air rights

30:00 The battle for our senses

35:00 Tech that arrived too early

37:00 Why dating in 2D doesn’t work in a 3D world

39:00 Spatial computing in creative industries

41:00 Where tech meets intimacy, memory & legacy

44:00 The real use case: Human connection

47:00 The future of emotional presence and what’s at stake

49:00 Getting It Right Matters

Connect with Cathy:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cathyhackl/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cathyhackl/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HacklCathy

Visit our website: https://www.infotech.com/

Follow us on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@InfoTechRG

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Digital Disruption with Geoff Nielson