Professional services provider Accenture has described Thailand as a country with the potential to become a leader in the metaverse as many local industries have embraced the virtual model to support and drive their businesses.
The consulting firm said several sectors are closer to being the first to leverage the metaverse’s benefits. The medical industry is among them, as Thailand hopes to become a regional healthcare hub powered by artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, edge computing, and extended reality (XR).
According to Accenture’s country managing director Patama Chantaruck, Thailand has high potential to be a regional leader in the metaverse, thanks to its widely recognized, technologically equipped, and high-quality healthcare sector.
Ms. Patama added that the other sectors taking the first steps to adopt such advanced technologies are banking, property, retail, manufacturing, and tourism.
She added that the metaverse is an expanding and evolving tech continuum and experience revolutionizing business through virtual reality, XR, 3D technology, blockchain and edge computing.
“One critical challenge is how to monetize products and services in the metaverse for companies. Enterprises should start today and evolve rapidly as the metaverse matures,” Ms. Patama went on.
A recent Accenture report showed that 71% of global executives believe the metaverse will have a positive impact on their organization, and 42% think it can be a breakthrough. The consultancy surveyed more than 4,600 executives from the business and technology sectors and 24,000 consumers from 23 industries in Thailand and 34 other countries.
About 72% of the Thai executives surveyed said that the metaverse would have a positive influence on their companies or projects, and 26% agree that it can be greatly transformational.
Accenture explained that companies must address four technology trends in 2022 to embark on their path to the metaverse.
The first trend or “WebMe: Putting the Me in Metaverse” calls for intensifying efforts to create an immersive digital world, while the second trend, “Programmable World,” should focus on how emerging technologies (5G, augmented reality, ambient computing, and intelligent digital environments) will reshape people’s interaction.
The third trend, “The Unreal,” is about how businesses and consumers consider what is authentic versus what is fake. The last one, “Computing the Impossible,” encompasses new machines, their role in organizations’ empowerment, and the tasks computers can perform.
