Prominent figures from the realms of Big Tech, Big Media and government gathered last month at the Athens Democracy Forum, where they shared their visions for what the metaverse may become — and how democratic institutions and educational systems can be transformed with the “aid” of new technology.

Organized under the aegis of The New York Times and marking its 10th anniversary, this year’s forum, held in Athens, Greece, included speakers such as United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Jeffrey Sachs, director of Columbia University’s Center for Sustainable Development.

With Meta, Microsoft, the UN Democracy Fund and the Council of Europe among the key sponsors for this year’s gathering, many of the panel discussions and presentations unsurprisingly focused on the intersection between technology and politics.