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XRAC MEETING NOTES – MAY, 2022

XRAC MEETING NOTES – MAY, 2022

Overview

On May 13, 2022, the XR Association convened the second Future of XR Advisory Council (XRAC) meeting. During the meeting, the independent advisory council discussed:

  • Definitions and frameworks – members articulated their thoughts on 
    • Immersive technology and how it relates to spatial computing. 
    • Spatial computing and how it relates to immersive technology.
    • Metaverse and how it relates to immersive technology and spatial computing.
    • Interoperability and how it relates to the metaverse.
    • Web 3.0 and how it relates to interoperability.
  • Bipartisan Policy Center Paper, “Thinking Ahead About XR: Charting a Course for Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality” – received an overview of the white paper, including key policy considerations from stakeholder engagement
  • Access and adoption barriers to XR technologies, including affordability, digital divides, and technical literacy.
  • Safety and security – The council brainstormed safeguards that could be utilized to protect XR user’s physical safety, mental safety and provide safe experience for individuals of all ages.

Members & Attendees

  • Noble Ackerson, President, Cyber XR Coalition
  • Daniel Castro, Vice President and Director of the ITIF Center for Data Innovation,  The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) 
  • Cathy Hackl, Chief Metaverse Officer, Futures Intelligence Group
  • Dan Guenther, Managing Director and XR Lead, Accenture 
  • James Hairston, Director, Meta
  • Daniel Kluttz, Sensitive Uses Program Lead, Office of Responsible AI, Microsoft 
  • Jim Kohlenberger, President, JK Strategies
  • Blair MacIntyre, Professor, Georgia Tech
  • Karim Mohammadali, Government Affairs and Public Policy, Google
  • Muhsinah L. Holmes Morris, Director, Morehouse in the Metaverse; Assistant Professor, Morehouse College
  • Daniel O’Brien, HTC Americas President, Global Head of Enterprise, HTC 
  • Michael Preston, Executive Director, Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop 
  • Philip Rosedale, Inventor, Founder, High Fidelity & Second Life 
  • John Soroushian, Associate Director, Bipartisan Policy
  • Todd Tokubo, Peripherals and XR, Future Technology Group at PlayStation
  • Liz Hyman, XR Association
  • Bethany Reitsma,  XR Association
  • Stephanie Montgomery,  XR Association
  • Joan O’Hara,  XR Association
  • Brad Williamson, Glen Echo Group
  • Andrea O’Neal, Glen Echo Group
  • Joey Battley, Glen Echo Group

Key Takeaways

  • The council has different definitions: “immersive technology”, “spatial computing”, the “metaverse”, “Web 3.0” and “interoperability”. Coming to an industry consensus on what these words mean will be vital to explaining it to the larger public. 
  • XR technologies raise important policy questions regarding access, privacy, and inclusion — there needs to be more research on these issues so the industry can address it. 
  • Keeping the broader public informed about XR is critical to soliciting meaningful input to guide policy better.
  • Privacy was a top concern for the convening participants, especially biometric and bystander privacy. They see it as the  key to building trust in the technology.
  • Policy decisions around issues such as antitrust, privacy, intellectual property, and legal liabilities will have significant implications for corporate monetization strategy and R&D investments.

Next Steps

Council members plan to convene in the third quarter.

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