A Look at the Upcoming AR/VR Policy Conference

How many times have you heard AR/VR described as “the wild west”? This technology is still new enough that there aren’t a lot of laws that explicitly govern it. Some XR experiences are covered to some degree by extant laws regarding those forms of content. However, many things that are only possible through XR just don’t have restrictions. We need an AR/VR policy.

A special conference taking place on October 21 will look at both extant policies governing XR as well as what sort of policies may be advantageous as the field continues to grow.

The AR/VR Policy Conference

The Augmented and Virtual Reality Policy Conference is organized by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) and the XR Association (XRA). The half-day conference will take place in the ITIF offices in Washington D.C. for in-person vaccinated registrants. The conference will also be live-streamed for remote participants.

Meet the Speakers

The AR/VR Policy Conference currently has nineteen speakers lined up, with more to be announced. Some familiar names include:

• Cyber XR President Noble Ackerson;
• Games for Change Director of Production & XR for Change Raul Carvajal;
• XRA President and CEO Elizabeth Hyman;
• Congressional Caucus on Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Reality Co-Chair Rep. Suzan DelBene.

The lineup also includes representatives from the ITIF, Unity, the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Health, the US Department of Labor, the University of Maryland, and more.

Check Out the Agenda

The conference runs from noon to 4:50 pm EST, and consists of eight sessions:

• Opening Remarks from Hyman and ITIF Policy Analyst Ellysse Dick;
• A keynote by an as-yet-unannounced speaker;
• A “Privacy, Safety, and Content Moderation in Immersive Experiences” panel discussion;
• A five-person lightning round on “Priorities for an AR/VR Policy Agenda”;
• A “Policymaker’s Perspective” keynote address by Representative DelBene;
• A “Government Investment and Adoption in AR/VR” panel discussion;
• A panel discussion on “Virtual Industries and Jobs of the Future”;
• Closing Remarks by an as-yet-unannounced speaker.

Attendees both in-person and remote can participate in discussions by submitting questions to the speakers through the event’s website.

How to Join

Registration is open now through the ITIF website. Registering requires completing a simple form involving your name and position within your organization, an email address, and whether you will be attending in-person or online.

The AR/VR Policy Conference is free to attend, but donations are accepted through a tab on the registration page.

Why Join

It goes without saying that we live in an incredibly exciting time for this technology. If you have something to contribute to the field of AR/VR Policy, now is the time to start getting involved. If you don’t have anything to contribute, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be keeping your eyes on the space. That’s why ARPost is proud to be a media partner of this historic event.