Mark Zuckerberg: First Interview in the Metaverse | Lex Fridman Podcast #398

This interview is conducted entirely inside the metaverse, with Lex and Zuckerberg appearing to each other as photorealistic 'Codec Avatars' despite being hundreds of miles apart. Much of the conversation is Lex marveling at the sense of presence and realism, while Zuckerberg explains how the avatars are scanned, encoded, and rendered, and his vision for making scanning as easy as waving a phone in front of your face. They discuss the upcoming $500 Quest 3 as the first mainstream mixed-reality headset, the blending of physical and digital worlds into a single 'real world,' and the philosophical and ethical questions that raises around identity, grief, and what should be allowed in digital spaces. The talk closes on Meta's AI strategy: a diversity of AI personas (not one super-intelligence), creator AI replicas, and the open-sourcing of Llama 2.

• Zuckerberg explains Codec Avatars work by scanning your face into a computer model and sending an encoded version over the wire, making it more bandwidth-efficient than video.
  00:02:37
• Meta is building a project to replace the lengthy studio scan with a quick 2-3 minute phone scan of your face.
  00:06:17
• Quest 3 announced as the first mainstream mixed-reality device at $500, versus the $1,500 Quest Pro.
  00:15:38
• Zuckerberg reveals Quest 3 actually has a stronger Qualcomm chipset than the higher-end Quest Pro, at a third of the cost.
  00:16:41
• Lex raises talking to deceased loved ones in the metaverse; Zuckerberg cautions it could become unhealthy and points to Meta's existing account-memorialization protocols.
  00:32:39
• Zuckerberg floats AI versions of creators that fans could interact with while the creator is still alive, across WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram.
  00:35:46
• Zuckerberg says he's glad Meta open-sourced Llama 2 and hopes to open-source Llama 3 too, though it's not close to release.
  00:51:49
• Reveals Snoop Dogg voices the Dungeon Master in Meta's internal text-adventure AI.
  00:40:25

• Subtle 'flaws' like freckles, wrinkles, and asymmetry are what make the avatars feel immersive; perfection actually reduces immersion.
  00:03:38
• Most human communication is non-verbal expression rather than the actual words spoken.
  00:04:09
• Each new VR headset brings a major new capability, unlike smartphones where year-over-year changes are barely noticeable.
  00:16:41
• Quest 3 is described as 40% thinner than its predecessor.
  00:17:13
• Zuckerberg predicts that by the end of the decade a room may contain as many holograms as physical objects.
  00:22:54
• Hand tracking has advanced faster than expected, enabling controller-free experiences like learning piano on a real table.
  00:20:50
• Meta AI is the company's plain, faceless, factual chat assistant available in any thread.
  00:37:52
• Meta built AI personas of Jane Austen and Marcus Aurelius for users to talk to.
  00:55:52
• Meta is building 'AI Studio,' a platform letting anyone create their own AI personas like other user-generated content.
  00:56:23
• Llama 2 got far more downloads and usage than even an optimistic Zuckerberg expected.
  00:52:51

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