XRAC will convene industry voices, experts, and thought leaders to define the XR ecosystem and discuss some of the foundational challenges and solutions facing XR technology.
Washington, D.C.- Today, the XR Association (XRA), the trade association representing the growing ecosystem of companies powering virtual, augmented, and mixed reality (XR), announced they will be forming a new independent advisory council, the Future of XR Advisory Council (XRAC). The XRAC will be tasked with defining the XR ecosystem and advising XRA around critical policy and practical considerations surrounding the various back-end computing platforms required to realize growth and maturity of XR. XRA is gathering support and building the council through the end of 2021 and XRAC will begin its work in the first quarter of 2022.
“We’ve only just begun to scratch the surface of what is possible with XR technology and as we look to the future there are critical questions and conversations to have about this technology’s impact on people, the economy, industry, and society,” said Elizabeth Hyman, CEO, the XR Association. “As XR technology becomes more ubiquitous our industry is dedicated to ensuring the responsible development of the technology. We strive to make sure that XR is safe, inclusive, and respectful for all users and the XRAC will play an important role in that effort.”
XRAC will be led by a steering committee of top executives at industry-leading companies as well as representatives from civil society, academia, and former government officials. Initial steering committee members include:
- Dan Guenther, Managing Director & Extended Reality Lead at Accenture
- James Hairston, Director, Facebook Reality Labs Policy
- Cathy Hackl, chief metaverse officer at Futures Intelligence Group.
- Wilson White, Senior Director of Government Affairs and Public Policy at Google
- Ellysse Dick, policy analyst, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF)
- Lisa Tanzi, Corporate Vice President & General Counsel at Microsoft
- Amitabh Varshney, Dean, College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences at University of Maryland
“The entire XR Association board of directors is excited to support the XRAC effort, “ said Heidi Holman, Chair of the XR Association Board of directors and Assistant General Counsel at Microsoft. ”For months we’ve been discussing XRA’s role in defining the future of XR technology and the XR Ecosystem and came to unanimous agreement that the XR Advisory Council is a needed vehicle to facilitate these conversations and to advise and support the XR Association in its efforts to promote the responsible development and adoption of XR technology. “
The XRAC will complement and inform the ongoing work of the XR Association, the only association dedicated solely to XR policy. It will include voices from non-member companies and from non-industry players. This will create a forum where we can achieve a shared vision, lexicon, and set of values for the future of our industry that everyone can agree to. Based on the input and advice of the XRAC, the XR Association will undertake with its membership a building out of best practices and frameworks that advance its mission of responsible development of XR.
ABOUT THE XR ASSOCIATION
The XR Association promotes the dynamic global growth of the XR industry, which includes virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed-reality, and future immersive technology. XRA is leading the way for the responsible development and adoption of XR by convening stakeholders, developing best practices and research, and advocating on behalf of our members and the greater XR industry.
The XR Association represents the broad ecosystem of the XR industry including headset manufacturers, technology platforms, component and peripheral companies, internet infrastructure companies, enterprise solution providers, and corporate end-users. The founders of XRA are Google, HTC Vive, Microsoft, Oculus from Facebook, and Sony Interactive Entertainment. To learn more about XRA membership, visit xra.org/joinus.
Contact:
Bradford Williamson bwilliamson@glenechogroup.com (202) 870.3234