
Washington, D.C. – The XR Association (XRA) and the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) will host the sixth annual AR/VR Policy Conference on Thursday, September 24, 2026, at the AT&T Forum in Washington, D.C. The event brings together industry leaders, policymakers, academia, and researchers to explore the evolving policy landscape for immersive technologies.
The opening panel, “Why Open-Source XR is America’s New Digital Frontier,” will discuss the intersection of expanding virtual worlds and open-source development in the context of efforts to establish an open metaverse browser. As the XR industry continues to grow, an interoperable spatial internet with open standards will be key to accelerating the creation of richer immersive experiences that enable new user-generated economies.
This discussion will explore how open models interact with proprietary platforms, addressing how policy frameworks covering licensing, data governance, and interoperability can foster innovation and unify the digital landscape. As open-source XR platforms and interoperable digital environments continue to evolve, the panel will also examine policy frameworks needed to address national security, intellectual property, and content moderation.