The f(x) = e^x | Digital twins and the metaverse
The f(x) = e^x | Digital twins and the metaverse
Good Day! This is my weekly newsletter, with a dose of insights into the future. The topic of this newsletter is the exponential times we live in, hence the title of f(x) = e^x, which is the (natural) exponential function.
You can visit The Digital Speaker to book me as a keynote speaker for your next event or to hire me as a future tech coach for your CEO. I have also published my trend predictions for 2022.
Why Digital Twins Are One of the Building Blocks of the Metaverse
My latest article:
The metaverse is not only a platform to connect with consumers, play your favourite game, or do business and collaborate. It is also all about simulating the physical world inside the digital world, which can then be experienced using VR or AR to optimise the physical world.
Digital twins can be considered one of the building blocks of the metaverse, augmenting the physical world and making it accessible from the digital realm. The digitalisation of equipment, factories and systems of systems will only increase and using AR and VR will revolutionise how we interact with the physical world.
Three Useful Nuggets of Information
My weekly tips from around the web to get you thinking.
1. The rise of the network state.
In my new book, I describe how the metaverse can shift loyalty from nation-states to virtual communities, and I came across this, slightly older, article by Balaji Srinivasan, former CTO of Coinbase, describing the rise of the network state. Worth spending 10 minutes of your life on to understand the broader implications of the immersive internet. (1729)
2. Rebuilding the coral reefs - just add water.
We are currently actively wiping out coral reefs around the globe due to climate change. As a diver, this hurts as coral reefs are not only vital for our oceans and coastlines, but they are also beautiful. Fortunately, scientists are coming to the rescue to regrow coral faster, anywhere. (Wired $)
3. Europe is building a vast facial recognition system
Sixty years after facial recognition was invented, Europe is working hard to create a huge biometric surveillance infrastructure across the continent. This should worry you. (Wired)
Cash out, Digital in.
We are at the dawn of a massive change in how we pay for things. Cash money is quickly disappearing across the globe. Digital, programmable money is making its appearance, and it will drastically change societies and economies. (MIT)
Dr. Mark van Rijmenam
Dr. Mark van Rijmenam is The Digital Speaker, a world-leading futurist and global AI keynote speaker who helps leaders decide what AI, and the technologies that follow it, mean for their business. He speaks to leadership teams at their retreats and to conference audiences worldwide, and his WAVE framework gives them a way of deciding that they keep using long after he has left the room. His Intelligence Age Scorecard measures how ready an organization is across the four WAVE pillars.
He holds a PhD from the University of Technology Sydney, is a Certified Speaking Professional and Global Speaking Fellow, and ranks among the world’s top futurists on the Global Gurus list (#1 in 2025, #3 in 2026). Salesforce named him one of its 16 leading AI voices. He has written six books, most recently Now What? How to Ride the Tsunami of Change, writes the Synthetic Minds newsletter on Substack, and founded Futurwise. Talk to his digital twin on WhatsApp: +1 (830) 463-6967.
