Currently serving as the CEO of the Metaverse Institute, Christina has built a reputation as a visionary leader driving the intersection of AI, blockchain, smart cities, and immersive digital environments. Recognized as one of the Top 100 Women of the Future, she has not only shaped innovation policy but also played a crucial role in bridging the gap between cutting-edge research and real-world applications.

Could you share a little bit about your background? How did you become the CEO of Metaverse Institute and a Top 100 Women of the Future?

My journey started in 2006 while studying at Loughborough University in the UK, which has consistently been ranked as the NO.1 UK university for media studies for years.

I became deeply interested in the metaverse and its potential, which led me to focus my master’s dissertation on how universities could use Second Life, the world’s first metaverse platform created by Linden Lab, a San Francisco-based company, in 2003 to develop international strategies. From there, I continued researching digital twins in metaverse environments to simulate and optimize for the construction, engineering, and architecture industries. I completed my PhD in 2012, but working in such a frontier field meant that convincing people of its value was a challenge.

While I was doing my full-time PhD, I was also the first Chinese student elected to the UK’s National Union of Students since 1922, representing over a million international and European students at 600 higher education and future education institutions between 2009 and 2012. I was sitting on 20+ committees for UNESCO, the World Bank, the Commonwealth, the EU, and the UK Governments. I led successful global campaigns on the future of work and skills, immigration, equality, diversity and inclusion, etc. I contributed to establishing the Commonwealth Students Association, representing 2 billion youth across 54 countries. This role gave me deep insights into how to empower students to play a proactive role, working with top leaders in the UN, governments, business, and universities in leading the development of a future society that will benefit our diverse communities. From LGBT to people with disabilities, gender equality, people from ethical minority backgrounds, or low-income communities, we want to ensure no one is left behind.  

Afterward, I spent a year working in the UK Parliament as part of a team led by the Shadow Business, Innovation, and Skills Secretary Chuka Umunna to advise on business, innovation, and skills policies.

From there, I became China Director for QS University Rankings, where I built their entire China operation from the ground up. Within two years, the Chinese Vice Premier Madam Liu Yandong highlighted QS rankings in their 13th five-year national plan(2016-2020), influencing 3,000+ universities with a funding allocation of £750 billion and impacting 48 million students. This role afforded me the unique opportunity to visit, evaluate, and advise leaders at hundreds of prestigious institutions worldwide, including world-class universities, national laboratories, innovation hubs, and leading hospitals across China and internationally.

My experiences were incredibly diverse. One day, I might be debating the potential civil rights of robots alongside the Dean of Law School at Georgetown University, exploring the ethical implications of artificial intelligence surpassing human intelligence. The next, I could be immersed in the world's largest brain tumor hospital, learning to perform intricate neurosurgical procedures using cutting-edge simulation technology. And on another day, I might be engaging in discussions with the Directors-General of prominent space agencies, exploring the potential of space agriculture to mitigate the impacts of climate change.

These daily encounters with exceptional leaders from diverse industries provided invaluable insights. I had the privilege of learning from them, collaborating on solutions to some of the world's most pressing challenges, and gaining a deep understanding of cutting-edge technological advancements across a wide range of disciplines in China and other leading nations. This experience has been instrumental in fostering a comprehensive understanding of the key elements required to build thriving innovation ecosystems for different industries.

During COVID-19, I reassessed my career and founded the Metaverse Institute. My goal was to help governments, international organizations, investors, and corporations harness frontier technologies—AI, digital twins, and smart cities—to drive both profit and purpose.

My recognition as one of the Top 100 Women of the Future came from my contributions to innovation, education, and policy development in emerging technologies. Over the years, I have worked with UN leaders, government ministers, university presidents, and Fortune 500 CEOs to bridge the gap between cutting-edge technology and real-world applications, ensuring that digital advancements create meaningful impact for people worldwide.


What inspires you most about future technologies?

The vast potential they have to improve people's lives. When you look at the diverse range of frontier technologies emerging across different industries and regions, at their core, they are all tools designed to make our people’s lives better.

One of the most fundamental challenges we face is how to identify the most cost- effective and easy tools to meet the needs of different groups in society. For example, we live in an aging society—our parents and grandparents are getting older, and not all of them are tech-savvy. How can we use technology to help them live more healthy lives?

Another issue that inspires my work is gender equality. According to the latest figures from the United Nations, at the current pace, it will take 300 years to achieve full gender equality. That is unacceptable. How can we use technology to empower women and create more equal opportunities in leadership, business, and government? This is even more urgent when we consider the worldwide trend of declining birth rates.

Additionally, WHO estimated that 1.3 billion people – about 16% of the global population – currently experience significant disability. How can we ensure that technology is truly accessible to everyone?

2.6 billion people are still offline. When we talk about AI, the metaverse, and other emerging technologies, we need to ask: How can we ensure that everyone benefits from these advancements, not just the privileged few?

Ultimately, what drives me is the idea that technology should serve humanity, not the other way around. It is not just about making money—of course, businesses need to be profitable—but if we only focus on financial gains and ignore the bigger picture, we risk creating a world that is deeply unequal and unstable.

This is why I do what I do—because I believe that if we use future technologies responsibly, we can build a more inclusive, sustainable, and prosperous world for everyone to flourish.

As a leader in a fast-evolving industry, how do you stay ahead of the curve and continuously learn?

My innate curiosity fuels my pursuit of knowledge, driving me to explore a diverse range of sources. Daily, I delve into historical accounts, insightful biographies, forward-looking foresight reports, rigorous academic papers, in-depth analyses from leading consulting firms and major banks, and United Nations reports. I even find inspiration in the realm of science fiction and fantasies, particularly dystopian narratives that explore the potential pitfalls of unchecked technological advancement.

These explorations highlight the critical need for proactive risk mitigation as we embrace frontier technologies. I firmly believe that true innovation often emerges from the cross-pollination of ideas across different disciplines. By confining oneself to a single academic field or specialization, one risks missing out on groundbreaking concepts that could be successfully applied in other contexts. While traditional education often prioritizes deep expertise in a specific domain—the renowned "10,000-hour rule"—in our rapidly evolving world dominated by artificial intelligence and automation, adaptability and a relentless curiosity to challenge the status quo are equally critical.

This interdisciplinary approach is crucial for identifying and addressing the potential risks and opportunities associated with emerging technologies. By fostering collaboration among researchers, policymakers, investors, and the public, we can ensure that these technologies are developed and deployed responsibly, maximizing their benefits while minimizing their potential harms. This requires a proactive and ongoing dialogue that considers the ethical, social, economic, and environmental implications of these advancements.

By constantly seeking new perspectives and exploring novel solutions to complex challenges, we can navigate the complexities of the technological landscape and ensure a future where innovation serves humanity.



What do you think are the biggest challenges in using AI and new technologies? What kind of new ethical dilemmas do these technologies bring?

The United Nations reports that 1.2 billion people worldwide lack access to electricity or experience severe energy shortages, facing less than 4 hours of stable power daily. Alarmingly, AI-related electricity consumption is projected to surpass 148 countries by 2026, ranking 45th globally. This stark reality raises a critical ethical dilemma: Can we justify prioritizing the advancement of AI at the expense of providing basic energy access to 1.2 billion individuals already grappling with energy poverty?

Similarly, water consumption is another critical issue. By 2027, the water consumption of cooling data centers that power AI systems is expected to be six times higher than the annual water consumption of Denmark. At the same time, by 2050, two-thirds of the global population will suffer from water scarcity. So, again, we must ask: Are we training AI at the cost of people’s access to drinking water? These are real challenges that governments, businesses, and society must urgently address.

Another major ethical challenge is the rise of deepfake technology. We have already seen how AI-generated images and videos can be misused, even at the highest levels of politics. A recent example involved Thailand Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha. She nearly fell for sophisticated voice phishing that impersonated leaders from neighboring countries through voice replication to her mobile phone, asking for donations but providing a bank account in a third country. If the most senior leader of a country can fall prey to deepfake technologies, how can the average public be free from such issues?

How do you see new technologies improving everyday life for people? Do you have some examples where a new technology helped solve a social problem?

Blockchain technology offers a powerful solution to the issue of financial exclusion. The World Bank estimates that 1.7 billion individuals globally lack access to traditional banking services due to limited physical or digital infrastructure, particularly prevalent in regions like Africa and Latin America. Blockchain-based mobile banking platforms, however, empower individuals to open bank accounts and access essential financial services using only a smartphone, significantly improving financial inclusion in underserved communities.

Furthermore, technological advancements are crucial for addressing the challenges of an aging population. AI-powered healthcare tools, smart home devices, and assistive robotics are revolutionizing elder care by facilitating independent living, enabling remote health monitoring, and enhancing social connectivity.

Moreover, Every year, space breeding increased grain production by 2 bn kilograms in China and generated $14bn direct economic benefits.

These examples demonstrate the transformative potential of technology to address critical societal challenges, from financial inclusion and elder care to food security.

What advice would you give to entrepreneurs who are interested in using new and complex technologies in their business? Do you think having a deep academic background is necessary to work with advanced technologies?

Entrepreneurship is not about blindly chasing the latest technological trends, such as blockchain, the metaverse, or, currently, AI. True success lies in identifying genuine customer problems and developing solutions that deliver genuine value. While these technologies offer exciting possibilities, simply incorporating them into a business model without a clear, customer-centric purpose is a risky endeavor.

Instead of fixating on the "next big thing," entrepreneurs should prioritize a critical question: "Does this technology genuinely solve a real problem for my target customers?" Blindly adopting trendy technologies to attract investment without a solid foundation of customer needs is a recipe for failure.

Furthermore, a deep academic background is not a prerequisite for entrepreneurial success. Startups thrive on the strength of their teams, not solely on individual expertise. While technical knowledge is valuable, successful entrepreneurship often involves building a diverse team with complementary skill sets.

Universities are hubs of cutting-edge research, yet many brilliant researchers lack the commercialization expertise to translate their discoveries into viable products. By forging collaborations with scientists, engineers, and industry professionals, entrepreneurs can effectively bridge the gap between academic research and real-world applications, bringing innovative solutions to market.

Where is the world going? What is one technology advancement you are most excited about to see or experience?

My deepest passion lies in nuclear fusion technology, recognizing its transformative potential to address the pressing issue of climate change and usher in an era of sustainable energy.

The global community faces a critical juncture, with the UN setting a 1.5°C global warming limit that we currently fail to meet. The next five years are pivotal; our decisions regarding carbon emissions will profoundly shape the trajectory of our planet for generations to come.

Unlike traditional nuclear fission, which generates radioactive waste, nuclear fusion mimics the sun's energy production process, offering a clean and virtually limitless energy source. Successful commercialization of fusion technology would unlock a carbon-free, safe, and abundant energy supply capable of powering our planet for millennia.

A recent breakthrough—the discovery of a novel material in the U.S. and Japan—can potentially increase fusion energy output by a staggering 100 times. This advancement has ignited significant interest from leading tech companies, who recognize that sustainable energy is paramount for the future of AI, data centers, and technological progress.

The successful development of nuclear fusion technology is key to mitigating climate change and ensuring a sustainable future. It is an advancement with the potential to redefine the course of the 21st century