Will people find fulfillment in the metaverse? Join Hume AI CEO Dr. Alan Cowen, Soul Machines co-founder Greg Cross, and host Matt Forte as they discuss the promises and pitfalls of the metaverse. What exactly is it? Can it be a place where we can create and sustain emotional connections? And what do we stand to gain if we can get it right?

Soul Machines co-founder Greg Cross says delivering emotional connections in the digital world is fundamental to what his company hopes to do, making the machines we interact with more relatable, useful, and helpful to us in our daily lives.

In the world of digital avatars, when is it important to have a “body” and not just a voice? Dr. Alan Cowen asks Soul Machines co-founder Greg Cross when the benefits of virtual bodies are most pronounced when compared to voice-only assistants.

From privacy to anthropomorphism, Dr. Alan Cowen asks Greg Cross how he separates the rational concerns from the irrational fears of AI and the metaverse.

Soul Machines' co-founder Greg Cross asserts that the technology his company is developing does not seek to replace human beings. It should be deployed where it can make our lives better, for instance, by providing improved access to healthcare and education.

Does the future include digital extensions of ourselves, carrying out our intentions? Who will be responsible for their behavior? Dr. Alan Cowen calls this a useful thought experiment, helping make concrete a lot of ethical questions about autonomous AI systems that exist even in lieu of the digital avatars that might represent them. If AI makes decisions for us, it should serve the well-being of individuals and society.

All this and more can be found in our full episode, available on Apple and Spotify

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