Wagner James Au is the author of "Making a Metaverse That Matters" (Wiley, 2023), based on his 20 years working in the metaverse industry, starting as the first journalist officially embedded inside the virtual world of Second Life. His blog New World Notes, launched in 2006, is the longest-running and most-cited news site devoted to Metaverse news and culture. A frequent speaker and media commentator, his recent themes include:

• Why the Metaverse is even more relevant in this era of generative AI and programs like ChatGPT.
• Why the Metaverse is inspiring, powerful, and already popular with over 600 million people -- and has a potential near-term market of 1 billion.
• Cutting through common metaverse myths -- and focusing on powerful real world use cases across many industries.
• How the Metaverse compares with spatial computing -- and how Apple's Vision Pro will help bridge both technologies.
• A starting guide for businesses and organizations interested in seeking true value and ROI from leading metaverse platforms.

He has spoken about the Metaverse, virtual worlds, and related topics at South by Southwest, the Milken Institute, Princeton's Institute for Advanced Study, and at conferences across Europe and Asia.

James is also author of "The Making of Second Life" (HarperCollins, 2008) and "Game Design Secrets" (Wiley, 2012). and his writing about virtual worlds has been featured in The Atlantic, the Wall Street Journal, and Wired, among many other publications. He has consulted on metaverse-related projects for Samsung, Mattel, Deloitte, Forrester, US and EU government bodies, among many other organizations.

He is based in Los Angeles.

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