The World Economic Forum’s is using a combination of augmented reality and AI to encourage virtual engagement year-round by both current and up-and-coming leaders. Think of it as a kind of virtual Davos.
Its Next-Gen Global Collaboration Village (GVC) platform is being billed as one of the only augmented reality (AR) platforms that enable real-time collaboration across device brands and diverse geographics, including China. It debuted at the Forum’s annual meeting in Davos last month.
“The Village is as a digital extension of the Forum,” says Chieh Huang, the Forum’s President, Global Collaboration Village. “Davos should not be about just one week. Why not continue these conversations on a weekly and monthly basis?”
It is the future of global collaboration, he says. “The Village helps leaders create real-world change with Next-Gen technology,” says Huang. “Inside, decision-makers visualize data, simulate outcomes and interactively problem solve.”
The original Village was launched in May 2022, at the height of the metaverse hype, and was developed in partnership with Accenture and powered by Microsoft Mesh. Its mission was to explore how spatial computing could facilitate systemic change and it played a pioneering role in validating virtual reality technology for immersive collaboration, says Huang.
At the 2024 Planetary Health Summit, hosted by Village partner Sunway University, the original Village’s Climate Tipping Points Hub visualized the impacts of surpassing 1.5°C, encouraging participants to share local insights and drive climate action. Some 96% of attendees stated via a post-experience survey, that they gained new insights or deepened their knowledge, and 82% acknowledged its efficacy in addressing climate misconceptions, according to the Forum. And, at the Forum’s 2024 Sustainable Development Impact Meetings in New York, leaders were immersed in a Climate Tipping Points Hub, visualizing over 25 Earth system tipping points, varying temperature scenarios and the associated global risks. “When we were discussing artic warming, we could take them to the artic to see it,” says Huang. “If we were talking about airport resilience and changes in sea level that will cause runways to be under water, we were able to use this immersive space to show them the problem and visualize solutions.”
During the 2025 annual meeting a pavilion, developed by Accenture, was created for the Forum’s Global Shapers community, young people who are poised to become the leaders of tomorrow. The space, which used virtual reality, brought together Global Shapers working on initiatives ranging from career counseling in Pakistan to sustainable gardens in Brazil. Three of the Shapers were onsite in Davos and three participated remotely.
The next-gen GCV, which the Forum built in-house, builds on that foundation with expanded accessibility, augmented reality, AI-driven interactions, and photo-realistic environments designed for more effective collaboration, says Huang It also incorporates feedback from partners to enhance the user experience. The platform now supports Apple Vision Pro and Meta Quest, and the Forum is developing it to work on PC, Mac and mobile devices too. Additionally, it has been designed to work across geographies, ensuring broader reach and accessibility.
Of course, no virtual experience can rival the networking and dealmaking in the physical conference center or at dinners or parties during the Forum’s exclusive annual event in the snowy alpine village of Davos. But the virtual village will keep Davos attendees engaged throughout the year and help them better grasp issues and collaborate through a combination of co-presence, real-time interaction and dynamic visualization, says Huang. Business, policy and civil society leaders can use the Village to visualize climate change risks posed to their supply chains, societies and ecosystems, he says. This will not only aid leaders in their strategic planning but also foster a deeper understanding of the long-term implications of their decisions, he says.
During the annual meeting the Next Gen Village explored how immersive platforms can drive climate action, partnering with GreenUp Switzerland, which hosted the Climate Hub Davos on the Promenade, the main street in Davos. This served as a way of bringing in outside voices, as there are now even more sessions going on at side events in Davos then official sessions inside the conference center. Many of the speakers at the outside events are world renowned experts in their field.
“Over the past 50 years the World Economic Forum has pioneered new ways to foster global communication and collaboration,” says Heung. “This technology does exactly that and shows how we will continue to innovate over the next 50 years.”
To access more of The Innovator’s Deep Dive articles click here.
