In the first episode of Cleo Abram’s latest talk show, The Huge Conversations, she brought out the iconic CEO of our time, none other than Mark Zuckerberg himself. Huge Conversation is a talk show where Cloe explores science and technology’s potential future and how it will look in the future.
The first episode of this podcast is all about Meta and how the future of Meta is being imagined by its team and the CEO. As more than half the population is using these meta-products, this might end up being the future of the world. Cleo Abram, the host herself, says that the goal of this episode is “to paint a picture of the future Mark Zuckerberg is trying to build so that you can decide for yourself what you think of it.”
The episode contains some interesting insights on Meta’s new projects and existing ones. Did you know that the latest meta-ray ban glasses were made by considering just two factors? It was comfort and style over anything else. They made many models and chose the ones that provided the best comfort and style over the other more technologically advanced glasses, which resembled bulky headsets. This is just one fact that was mentioned in this article; there are several more.
Imagine a world where holograms seamlessly interact with reality, where the digital experience and the physical environment come all together as one, and where your glasses, not even your phone, become the window to a universe of possibilities. That is not a distant dream; it is the future of the meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his team is building now.
In this show, Cleo tested out the prototype, and she mentioned that someone from the meta team called it ‘the real-life Tony Stark glasses,’ which was true. If things go as planned, it might be the real-life Tony Stark glasses. It is a full augmented reality headset that is in 10 years of research and development.
“These are the first full holographic augmented reality glasses that exist in the world. They are very hard to make, and we have only built a few thousand so far,” says Mark Zuckerberg. The glasses are designed to project full-body holograms into the real world, which lets the users interact in lifelike interactions, whether it is playing ping pong, collaborating on a project, or even just having a conversation.
These AR glasses make everything possible. These AR glasses bring digital elements into the physical world in a way that feels natural. “In the future,” Zuckerberg suggests, “you could be sitting here having a conversation with someone who isn’t physically present—it is not just a video call, it is a full-body hologram you can interact with.”
Abrams, representing all of us, asked the question of what we were all thinking—why AR is the focus. Zuckerberg pointed to the natural evolution of computing. “If you look at the grand arc of computing over time, it is gone from mainframes to desktops, to laptops, to phones. But phones are pretty unnatural.
They take you away from the world around you,” he explains. ”The trend in computing is moving towards becoming more ubiquitous, more natural, and more social. And I think AR is going to be the next major platform after the phones.”
There is something we all can relate to missing the warmth and closeness of physically being with loved ones, like hugging your mom. This was what the next question Cleo was about. She wondered if technologies like the AR glasses that Meta is developing will ever truly replace the value of in-person moments—something like eye contact, a pat on the shoulder—and if technologies ever let you share that.
Mark Zuckerberg answered her question, saying that recreating the touch and the sense of physical presence is one of the biggest challenges. He mentions how Meta is working on it and shares an example where people can “feel” a digital ping pong ball hitting their paddle. He admits that it is nowhere near replicating the real human touch experience, but he still hopes that one-day technology can make it real.
The next question also Cleo had to ask was around the same topic, which reflects each of our lives: despite all the tools for digital connections, people today are lonelier than ever. Along with some statistics, she continues, that people are spending far less time socializing in person; more and more Americans report having fewer close friends, and she asks Zuckerberg why this is happening and what he thinks, why we feel so disconnected when we have so many ways to connect.
Zuckerberg responded by saying that digital connections aren’t replacing physical ones; they are just stepping into where we are already lacking. And most people want more friends, not fewer, and technology could help us bridge that gap.
It is not that these tools will make us spend less time with the people close to us, like our partners, but maybe they will let us be more present with our family or friends who live far away. Zuckerberg even recalls a conversation with Tim Ferris where they discussed AI’s potential, especially how it could help us communicate better with people who speak different languages through real-time translation—something that’s almost like the Star Trek Universal translator.
While some may worry that this technology will make people not learn new languages, Zuckerberg doesn’t believe that. He explains that this will lead to the removal of barriers between people and result in shared humanity.
Zuckerberg mentions how he thinks that the future AI should be part of education while thinking about his own children. He gives an example by comparing calculators and coding. Just like we use calculators but still need to understand basic math, we should teach future generations how to code, even if AI can do much of the hard work.
In the end, they discuss the role of technology in content creation and community engagement. Zuckerberg explains how creators can use AI as an interactive tool, allowing them to connect with their audiences even when they can’t be present.
He stresses the importance of staying curious and adapting in a fast-changing world, similar to how past innovations like the internet reshaped and changed our lives and careers. When Cloe was ending the show and asked Zuckerberg if he had anything to add, he briefly talked about open-source AI and, in Zuckerberg’s opinion, how making AI tools accessible to more developers can lead to safer and more innovative outcomes.
