Ep41. The Metaverse is Dead; Long Live the Metaverse! Why You Should Pay Attention to the Metaverse with Domhnaill Hernon, the Global Lead of EY’s Metaverse Lab

You won’t be on the fence about investing in the metaverse after this episode!  From aeronautical engineering to trailblazing the intersection of art and technology, meet Domhnaill Hernon. Domhnaill is an award-winning technology and innovation executive. He received an undergrad in Aeronautical Engineering and a PhD in Aerodynamics from the University of Limerick and an executive MBA from Dublin City University, Ireland. He currently holds two positions as Global Lead of the EY Metaverse Lab and the Cognitive Human Enterprise. These are pioneering new approaches placing Humans@Center between business, technology, and society. Prior to that he held several senior leadership positions across R&D, innovation, and creativity while at Nokia Bell Labs. Domhnaill’s work has been featured in Wired Magazine, Forbes, Times Square, SXSW, Nasdaq, Mobile World Congress, Ars Electronica, and TEDx and he advises innovation and cultural programs globally. You're in for a treat as Domhnaill shares his unique perspective on the evolution of the internet from 2D to 3D, the current state of the metaverse, and the imperative for businesses to invest in it, especially with Gen Z’s adoption of it. He runs an artist-in-residence program at EY to deeply infuse artists' perspectives and challenge technologists to think beyond technology-only solutions. He also shares the power of collaborating with artists to challenge our assumptions and have our digital worlds reflect the full spectrum of lived human experiences. In this episode, you'll hear Domhnaill's journey from his early days as an aeronautical engineer to becoming a thought leader of the metaverse. He shares his ah-ha moment, when an intellectual anvil hit him on his head and changed the trajectory of his thinking on how innovation should be approached. He also discusses EY’s exploration of identity and inclusivity in the metaverse and how technology can unintentionally homogenize rather than allow for authentic individual expression. He urges listeners to value different perspectives, experiences, and types of intelligence beyond their own, as that is where the biggest value is created. Join the conversation as Domhnaill shares why the metaverse isn’t dead despite headlines and his passion for pushing the boundaries of what's possible at the intersection of art, technology, and business — Enjoy! EPISODE SHOW NOTES: https://creativitysquared.com/podcast/ep41-domhnaill-hernon-the-metaverse-is-dead-long-live-the-metaverse JOIN CREATIVITY SQUARED Sign up for our free weekly newsletter: https://creativitysquared.com/newsletter  Become a premium member: https://creativitysquared.com/supporters  SUBSCRIBE Subscribe on your favorite podcast platform: https://creativitysquared.com Subscribe for more videos: https://youtube.com/@creativity_squared/?sub_confirmation=1 CONNECT with C^2 https://instagram.com/creativitysquaredpodcast https://facebook.com/CreativitySquaredPodcast https://giphy.com/channel/CreativitySquared https://tumblr.com/blog/creativitysquared https://tiktok.com/@creativitysquaredpodcast #CreativitySquared CONNECT with Helen Todd, the human behind C^2 https://instagram.com/helenstravels https://twitter.com/helenstravels https://linkedin.com/in/helentodd https://pinterest.com/helentodd Creativity Squared explores how creatives are collaborating with artificial intelligence in your inbox, on YouTube, and on your preferred podcast platform.  Because it’s important to support artists, 10% of all revenue Creativity Squared generates will go to ArtsWave, a nationally recognized non-profit that supports over 100 arts organizations. This show is produced and made possible by the team at PLAY Audio Agency: https://playaudioagency.com. Creativity Squared is brought to you by Sociality Squared, a social media agency who understands the magic of bringing people together around what they value and love: http://socialitysquared.com.