Washington, D.C. – On Wednesday, October 30, 2024, the XR Association hosted its fourth “Charting the Future of Immersive Technology” webinar episode, “Respect and Diversity in the Workforce.” The panel featured experts Carlos Gutierrez, Deputy Director & General Counsel at LGBT Tech, Dylan Fox, Director of Operations at XR Access, and Heather Shen, Co-Founder & Chief Product Officer at Praxis Labs, in a discussion moderated by Elizabeth Hyman, CEO at XRA.
Over the past few years, immersive technologies have rapidly expanded, with virtual, augmented, and mixed-reality solutions becoming essential tools for workforce onboarding, training, and upskilling. Integrating these technologies into the workforce is crucial as it empowers a broader range of individuals to participate fully, including those with physical or medical limitations.
In addition to broadening opportunities for inclusion in the workforce, XR has also emerged as a promising educational training method for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) training. Speakers shared how these tools offer a more engaging and immersive experience to traditional diversity training by helping participants better understand and appreciate different perspectives.
At Praxis Labs, for example, employees and business leaders can walk through immersive simulations to drive inclusivity practices and conflict management. Shen explained how the software company has integrated generative AI to create personalized, research-backed simulations that let businesses practice how to handle polarizing topics in the workplace, navigate divisive conversations and cross-cultural conflict, and build empathy and inclusivity among employees.
“Inclusive leaders help retain employees better and create more high-performing teams,” Shen explained. “What is powerful about XR and simulated learning is we’re able to measure what people do in a simulation. This includes what they’re saying, if they’re applying new skills, and any areas to improve on next time. And with that, we can create a connection with leaders growing and developing and how they’re thinking about the implication of that on a business.”
Fox emphasized the importance of having people from various communities with “lived experiences” informing the research and products within immersive technology. He shared how XR Access has been working to change the early steps of the research phase to create a body of research more informed by all types of communities not as testers or consumers, but creators involved in the design process of future tools.
“Designing with these communities in mind and involved throughout the process is the only way we can create without risking tools that don’t address existing barriers,” Fox said. “Or with getting a temperature check if you’re not aware.”
Other considerations raised by the speakers included data privacy concerns, content moderation and the existing barriers to adoption. In partnership with Innerworld, LGBT Tech created a recurring meet-up to give LGBTQ+ users a safe space to explore their gender identity and experience. Gutierrez emphasized the importance of having these spaces, particularly for users in remote, small-town communities with limited access to other LGBTQ+ folk. However, he explained the importance of addressing data minimization and privacy risks to create truly safe, secure spaces for users.
In the absence of a federal privacy law, “industry has a responsibility in terms of leading and tackling forward and creating their own regulations,” Gutierrez argued. He explained that to prevent bad legislation from passing, you need to have policies that have been “road-tested.”
The webinar also dived into the considerations and needs of developers building new immersive and inclusive software programs. Speakers debated the challenges developers face including finding examples and standards of accessibility to work off of. Fox explained the work XR Access has been doing to create a W3C standard directly applicable to immersive technologies,
“We’re working with the Metaverse Standards Forum because this is an important benchmark for the enterprise integration of XR,” Fox said. “No corporation will want to move forward if there is a risk that they could get sued.”
The discussion ended with speakers sharing where they’d like to see immersive technologies progress over the next few years. XRA’s “Charting the Future of Immersive Technology” whitepaper goes further in-depth into the initiatives and discussions XRA has had with experts around diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
Watch the webinar recording to follow the full discussion.
