➤ Extended reality or cross reality, known as XR, is a catchall term for a number of different but related technologies, including virtual reality, augmented reality and mixed reality.
➤ XR Association CEO Liz Hyman said technical standards authorities should take the lead on addressing metaverse interoperability before regulators try to address competition in the nascent industry.
➤ Hyman
At the second annual policy conference hosted by the XR Association and the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation in Washington, D.C., stakeholders discussed various applications of extended reality technologies and what they mean for the future of metaverse policymaking.
S&P Global Market Intelligence sat down with Liz Hyman, CEO of the XR Association, to discuss the latest developments in metaverse-related tech. Hyman also provided thoughts on future regulation for the XR landscape and how current applications of the technologies are informing discussion about the nascent industry. What follows is an edited transcript of that conversation.
 XR Association CEO Liz Hyman Source: The XR Association |
S&P Global Market Intelligence: This is the XR Association's second annual AR/VR policy conference, but many developments regarding AR, VR and metaverse tech have made headlines in just the past year.
Liz Hyman:
A lot of people are still trying to figure out how to define what the metaverse is because different companies are going to have different views about what this immersive experience looks like. I think part of our job at the XR Association is to give air to the wine and let it breathe a little bit as people try to work their way through what this looks like.
Some people have doubts about applications of metaverse tech.
I think a lot of people are still trying to figure out what their own spaces are going to look like, but you have companies like Nike Inc. that are going into Roblox Corp. and other immersive spaces to promote products that may be in a 3D realm but could encourage shoppers to try and buy in the real world.
Also, looking at universities that are creating digital twins of their campuses, some people don't necessarily have the access to a college campus the way that others do. If you're a working mom, for example, it may be a real game changer for you to have that university experience in that metaverse.
Sometimes in hospitals and caregiving, the technology is not about the metaverse. There are veterans who suffer from PTSD who are using virtual reality for exposure therapy so that you can put someone safely into a situation that triggers their anxieties and treat them right away.
What should be top of mind for regulators, policymakers or policy stakeholders today?
It's really important that policymakers understand how the technology works and understand features like a front-facing camera or eye-tracking. There is something called foveated rendering, which uses an eye tracker integrated with a virtual reality headset. That's important in terms of developing the strength of the technology and mitigating things like visually induced motion sickness.
Number two is then trying to work through some of the policy conversations that we're all trying to take on. Our first panel at the conference discussed norms and behavior in immersive spaces. What is that going to look like? What are the obligations of different parties, or for privacy?
Interoperability is clearly a big question on people's minds. Talk about some of the challenges that developers are facing right now as they work to bring their own digital worlds to life. What options are on the table for metaverse interoperability? Can legislation help us get there?
Interoperability is the gold standard and the end goal. I'm not sure if you're familiar with something called the Metaverse Standards Forum. It was launched by the Khronos Group and they're trying to organize the technical, standard-setting bodies to take on different aspects of interoperability. It's a complicated conversation.
From a policy perspective, we're looking at what [interoperability] means for competition. How do we move to regulate when we don't really fully understand the scope of what interoperability is going to involve? We want to be a partner with the government and with government agencies to walk them through this iterative process.
If you think back to how the internet was created, there was a reticence to regulate quickly in the space. That's not to say that regulation is not appropriate. It probably is, but we need to see how those technical standards bodies start to take on some of these conversations.
How do you respond to concerns about metaverse environments, including the potential for privacy violations, IP theft, child predators and civil liberties matters?
What I think is absolutely vital is that we start to have solid conversations around some of these topics. In many ways, [XR] technology reflects society and some of the challenges that we're having, regardless of what the platform might be.
So when we think about kids, first of all, I'm obligated to say that the manufacturers all have guidance saying that young children should not be using virtual reality headsets. They're simply not designed for [kids].
With that in mind, how do we start to have a more realistic conversation about safety and precautions for children? That's front and center for all of us. And it comes back to some of the basic privacy principles that I talked about, like making sure that users understand how the technology works, that they have control over their data and that there's transparency about the policies each of those companies have.
What should we expect for metaverse technology in 2023?
I'm hopeful that people will start to think about not just the attributes of the metaverse, but also the technology itself. These are immersive tools, and I hope people really start to think about how they can amplify and support our economy. But we have a lot of work to do.
Hopefully, some of these conversations will help clarify how we take on defining the metaverse or multiple metaverses and what it means to different communities and different people.