The AR/VR Policy Conference is returning to Washington D.C. Don’t worry, like last year, you can also view the event live for free online. If you weren’t around last year, don’t worry. We’ll catch you up and look at everything that we know about this year’s event coming down the pike on September 14.
The inaugural AR/VR Policy Conference took place last year and returns as a joint effort of the XR Association and the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF).
“The XRA and its member organizations are deeply committed to the responsible development of what we truly believe to be transformative technologies,” XR Association CEO, Elizabeth Hyman, said during opening remarks last year. “XR has a growing and important place in the world of legislation when it comes to innovation and competition.”
Opening remarks were also given by Ellysse Dick, who was then a policy analyst for the ITIF and has since moved to be the Reality Labs Policy Manager at Meta.
“Even a few years ago, these seemed like very niche topics… but the landscape is changing at an amazing pace,” said Dick. “The window of opportunity for impactful and effective policy is closing.”
Other AR/VR Policy Conference speakers included Noble Ackerson of the CyberXR Coalition, XR researcher Jeremy Bailenson, XRA Vice President of Public Policy Joan O’Hara, and Representative Suzan DelBene.
As of this writing, the agenda is all filled out, though some speakers are yet to be announced. There will once again be opening and closing addresses by the XR Association and the ITIF. We can expect to hear from Hyman again, but who will be joining her from the ITIF is not yet public.
Hyman will also moderate a panel on “what the metaverse means for the global economy.”
O’Hara also returns as a moderator for a panel discussion on “how AR/VR will reshape national defense, government services, and international relations.” Those are just the familiar faces – the whole day isn’t just ITIF and XRA members.
Other speakers we’re most excited about include Representative Darrell Issa, Christina Jackson of Meta, Karim Mohammadali of Google, futurist Cathy Hackl, and Unity’s Aaron Kleiner. A series of lightning talks, one of the keynotes, and a “fireside chat” do not yet have listed speakers so there is even more to look forward to.
Other talks include a session on intellectual property in the creator economy, content moderation in virtual spaces, and expectations for privacy in the metaverse. After the bulk of the talks, there will also be an hour of networking.
The agenda isn’t the only reason to be excited. For anyone not keeping score, the XRA has had a really busy year since the last AR/VR Policy Conference.
For one thing, immersive technology was included in the CHIPS bill – which later passed. The bill included measures to increase domestic production of semiconductors after the pandemic shed light on supply chain weaknesses – a pain that was definitely felt in the immersive tech industry. The XRA had been a proponent of the bill and of explicitly including immersive tech.
SEE ALSO: Voted, Passed, and Signed: XRA Commended the CHIPS and Science Act
“XR and immersive technologies have shown incredible promise in addressing various sectors of the economy including healthcare, education and the workforce,” Hyman said in a release. “Our member organizations build and rely on chips to create new wearables, connect devices, and allow for 5G transformation.”
More recently, the XRA added eight new member organizations, including Strivr, Taqtile, Schell Games, and Pearson. You can also expect to hear at least one plug for the XRA’s Limitless Future Conference taking place in Atlanta, Georgia on November 1.
It’s okay if you missed last year’s AR/VR Policy Conference, as it’s available to watch in its entirety online. But, we do hope you’ll join us for this year’s AR/VR Policy Conference, either in-person or virtually (tickets are free for both options) from 10:30 AM to 6:00 PM EDT on September 14. ARPost is proud to be supporting the event as a media partner.
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