Washington, D.C. – In the final episode of XRA’s policy-focused mini-series, Immersive Insights: Reality Check, host Joan O’Hara, XRA’s Senior Vice President of Public Policy, is joined by Adam Thierer, Senior Resident Fellow for Technology & Innovation at the R Street Institute. O’Hara and Thierer discuss the domestic and foreign regulatory frameworks surrounding new technologies like XR, and what governments should do to allow innovation in this space to flourish.
“Already, Americans are benefiting from XR, whether it’s through new education, skills training and workforce development opportunities, or through expanded access to cutting edge medical care or enhanced safety and efficiency in the manufacturing and industrial sectors,” said O’Hara. “Moreover, the US has designated XR as a critical technology, signifying the important role it plays in national security and economic prosperity.”
Throughout the episode, Thierer and O’Hara discuss some of the challenges immersive technologies face in implementation across the government and private sector due to inconsistent, burdensome, or unclear government frameworks.
“XRA is always very good about pointing out the distinctions and differences between the world of immersive tech and the old world of videogames. And I think that’s exactly right. They’re two totally different things, but this is one way where they’re similar because child safety related concerns can end up driving a lot of fear-based policy and a lot of chicken little kind of thinking,” said Thierer. “And this is where XRA has been outstanding at getting out ahead of the curve and doing education and best practices and has a whole bunch of decks that they present to policymakers and to parents and industry about how to use these technologies properly.”
Listeners can tune into Immersive Insights on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and TuneIn to learn about what the U.S. and other countries are doing right, and what these governments should be doing to better allow for future innovation.
