Last week, Joan O’Hara, Vice President of Public Policy at XRA, and Laura Chadwick, Vice President of Industry Relations at XRA, joined panels at the 2021 Augmented World Expo (AWE) in Santa Clara, California. With more than 5,000 attendees and more than 300 speakers, the AWE brings together developers, investors, corporations, and enthusiasts to exchange ideas and learn about the latest developments in XR.
Ms. O’Hara spoke on XRSI’s panel on safety and security in “the metaverse,” along with Ellysse Dick from ITIF and Kavya Pearlman from XRSI. The group discussed how best to ensure this next iteration of the internet is developed ethically, and with the user’s best interest in mind. Ms. O’Hara emphasized the importance of bringing all stakeholders to the table as the “metaverse” is conceptualized, and was quoted by ARPost:
“There will always be unintended consequences, but I think we’ve had a bit of a preview of the sorts of things that we’ve got to keep an eye on,” said XRA Vice President Joan O’Hara. “Because we’re talking about this now at the very beginning, I think we’re at a good place to address these concerns.”
Ms. Chadwick led a panel discussion, “Gauging The XR Market: Findings from the US And Europe And The Direction Of The XR Industry,” on the Start-Ups & Investors track. She was joined by Alexandros Vigkos, Ecorys; Jason Schneiderman, Perkins Coie; and Chelsea May, The Martec Group. The group discussed the findings of the XR Association’s various research reports released in 2021.
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