Research & Standards

An XRSI report based on the discussions and Swarm AI session held on 14th December, during the Metaverse Safety Week 2023

The proliferation of AI and emerging technologies is rapidly reshaping our digital ecosystems, demanding immediate and coordinated regulatory responses on a global scale. While the marriage of AI with the Metaverse and other platforms heralds a new age of innovation, it simultaneously introduces complexities that challenge our existing policy frameworks. These complexities, coupled with the borderless nature of the metaverse, underscore the urgent
imperative for international governance that ensures user protection and technological growth in tandem. As we navigate this uncharted terrain, the call for collective global action resonates more robustly than ever. Constructing these new regulatory scaffolds is not a solitary endeavor; it mandates a harmonized effort involving policymakers, technologists, legal experts, and users alike. Every stakeholder plays a pivotal role in drafting a future where AI and related technologies are used responsibly, ethically, and to the benefit of humanity at large.

The Global Policy and Regulations Roundtable at Metaverse Safety Week 2023 was pivotal in fostering dialogue and laying the groundwork for future collaborative efforts. It underscored the need for collective action in shaping the future of AI and emerging technologies. The insights and strategies discussed are expected to significantly influence the journey towards a safe, innovative, and ethically responsible digital future in 2024 and beyond, balancing the critical themes of AI governance with the broader objectives of sustainable and inclusive global development.

An XRSI report based on the discussions and Swarm AI session held on 13th December, during the Metaverse Safety Week 2023

In the dynamic landscape of cybersecurity, AI, and data protection, a profound challenge emerges, the need for a deeper understanding and focused navigation of the cyber frontier in the AI-powered Metaverse. Current dialogues on AI safety, security, and data protection often need to be anchored to the traditional Internet framework, thereby missing the intricate nuances of the immersive Internet. This immersive internet represents a confluence of technologies characterized by presence, persistence, immersion, and interoperability, presenting a new paradigm in digital interaction and data stewardship. However, only a select few groups are actively addressing the unique challenges of this emerging realm, especially in cybersecurity and data protection. These challenges are particularly pronounced in AI-powered communication infrastructure, which introduces unprecedented freedoms regarding identity, currency, community choice, cross-jurisdictional networking, and complex data protection concerns.

The Cybersecurity and Data Protection Roundtable at Metaverse Safety Week 2023 acknowledges that while the Metaverse may be an interconnected network of virtual worlds powered by AI and human interaction, its risks are genuine. These risks extend beyond digital harm, potentially leading to human harm, loss of lives, and violations of human rights if not proactively addressed.

An XRSI report based on the discussions and Swarm AI session held on 12th December, during the Metaverse Safety Week 2023

In an era where AI-augmented realities are rapidly transforming the digital landscape, the protection and empowerment of our young generation emerge as a crucial imperative. The duality of these evolving environments, blending unparalleled opportunities with profound challenges, necessitates a vigilant and proactive approach to child safety. As immersive technologies increasingly captivate younger audiences, the responsibility to safeguard their digital well-being intensifies. It underscores the complexities of nurturing and protecting young minds in AI-augmented worlds. It emphasizes the need for
proactive, empowering, and ethics-driven efforts across various sectors, including technology, education, policy, and child advocacy, to ensure that these burgeoning virtual spaces serve as platforms for positive growth and learning rather than avenues of risk and harm.

The Child Safety and Children’s Rights Roundtable at Metaverse Safety Week 2023 emphasizes the urgency of proactive measures. The objective was to propose actionable steps that could be swiftly implemented to mitigate risks and enhance the safety of the young generation within the metaverse. This emphasis on real-world applicability underscored a commitment to translating discussions into tangible outcomes, ensuring that the Metaverse evolves as a space where the well-being of its youngest denizens is actively safeguarded.

An XRSI report based on the discussions and Swarm AI session held on 11th December, during the Metaverse Safety Week 2023

The discourse surrounding the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) with healthcare has gained considerable attention this year across the ecosystem from regulators and innovators. However, there is a notable gap in addressing the intersection of AI in healthcare with immersive technology. The core of AI applications in healthcare relies on patient data, particularly protected data types, with Protected Health Information (PHI) defined in the US as information in medical records that can identify an individual and is created, used, or disclosed during healthcare services (General HIPAA Provisions (§160.103)). The definition of PHI established 27 years ago could not have foreseen the diverse array of data types emerging in the realm of AI and immersive technologies. Another consideration is that non-covered entities now effectively collect identifiable health information, necessitating extended protections for patient privacy beyond traditional healthcare norms and boundaries. Moreover, existing privacy regulations do not adequately account for the compounded sensitivity resulting from combining different data types, particularly in the context of AI-enabled digital immersive healthcare. When these data are the foundation of AI-enabled digital immersive healthcare, new standards and evaluation frameworks are needed to ensure fair and responsible use of patient data.

The Medical XR and Immersive Healthcare Roundtable at Metaverse Safety Week 2023 underscored the importance of carefully adopting these technologies, mindful of their potential to affect patient outcomes profoundly. The group’s collective wisdom was geared towards finding ways to harness the benefits of immersive healthcare technologies without compromising patient safety and ethical standards. The roundtable aims for a future where AI enhances medical practice yet remains deeply rooted in patient-centric values.

An XRSI report based on the discussions and Swarm AI session held on 10th December, during the Metaverse Safety Week 2023

As we honor the 75th Human Rights Day, we delve deep into the intertwining of AI-powered immersive worlds and their profound implications on human rights. In an era marked by rapid technological convergence, the Metaverse and AI jointly revolutionize industries, necessitating a fresh perspective on established human rights doctrines. Bringing together global thought leaders, our focus sharpens on the emerging concepts of neurorights and the transformative potential of Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI). The pivotal task in a dominantly AI-orchestrated Metaverse is to fortify and safeguard human rights. We engage in robust discussions surrounding the multifaceted challenges posed by privacy, autonomy, and the looming risks of algorithmic biases. Drawing insights from the collective intelligence, we accentuate the urgency for erecting standardized guardrails.

The Human Rights Roundtable at Metaverse Safety Week 2023 encapsulates the concerted effort to weave human rights considerations into the ongoing technological evolution. It marks a pivotal moment in the journey towards an equitable and responsible digital future, where human rights are preserved and integral to technological development and application.

An XRSI report based on responses to the Questionnaire on Neurotechnology and Human Rights to United Nations

The rapid advancement of neurotechnologies presents a unique intersection of opportunities and challenges in the realm of human rights. While these technologies hold the promise of revolutionizing healthcare, education, and alleviating human suffering, they also pose significant risks, particularly to privacy, personal agency, freedom of thought, and non-discrimination. The development of consumer-oriented neurotechnologies further amplifies these risks, potentially infringing on the rights of vulnerable groups such as individuals with neurological or psychiatric conditions, young people, and those within the criminal justice system.

This groundbreaking report, “Human Rights in the Age of Neurotechnology: Impact, Opportunities & Measures”, report by X Reality Safety Intelligence (XRSI) delves into the complex intersection of neurotechnology, human rights, and ethical considerations. As neurotechnology continues to advance at an exponential pace, the report explores the potential benefits and challenges, including the enhancement of human potential, mental well-being, and the alleviation of suffering. It also highlights the urgent need for robust frameworks and laws to safeguard fundamental human rights.

1st ever Metaverse Standard whitepaper by Standards Australia and X Reality Safety Intelligence (XRSI) – May 2023

The Metaverse is a network of interconnected virtual worlds enabled by several converging technologies, including Extended Reality, Artificial Intelligence, Decentralised Ledger Technologies, and neuro-technologies. The Metaverse is a persistent and immersive simulated world that has the potential to generate up to US$5 trillion in value by 2030. There are many risks related to the Metaverse, including Human Risks, Societal Risks, Regulatory Risks, Legal Risks, Information Risks, and Financial Risks.

Those at risk include children and young people, disadvantaged communities, the elderly, individuals with disabilities or health conditions, and businesses and organizations. The Metaverse may need standards for security, privacy, accessibility, content creation, intellectual property, governance and regulation, ethical and moral standards, interoperability, and child safety. Australia may also want to focus on responsible AI and Child Safety Standards.

The Metaverse is a marketing term for Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality, which implies a significant social component. XRSI defines the Metaverse as, here.

XRSI Recommendations for the Biden-Harris Administration

The United States is facing the unprecedented challenge of building responsible, safe, and inclusive XR and Metaverse related Information and Communication Technology ecosystems.

We need pragmatic policy decisions and governance frameworks that help build responsibility, safety, and inclusion for new and emerging fields of XR technologies (an umbrella term for AR/VR/MR). With the pandemic catalyzing and fueling the growth and adoption of these technologies, we need to pause and reflect: if we are going to extend realities via the immersive domain of XR, what kind of world will we wish to create?

Lawmakers must proactively address the issue of privacy and data protection while enabling responsible research and innovation. This area is particularly relevant today as our dependency on smart technologies grows, and we embrace immersive and emerging technologies to build the future.

1st XR Data Classification Roundtable Report
XR Safety Week 2021 – December 10th, 2021

Today, most people understand that internet technologies generate data with each click, like, and share. Humans have relied on data collection and sharing to record and propagate historical facts, ideas, and opinions across timelines. In the past few decades, the creation, processing, and sharing of data have become so common that most people have stopped paying attention to the amount of data they give away every day.

People relinquish their data without realizing the risks or consequences. While this is not new, the difference today is we are moving towards an era of constant reality capture, especially with the increased adoption of immersive technologies and a strong push to build the next iteration of the Internet, also known as the Metaverse.

Immersive technologies, including Extended Reality (XR) and Internet of Things (IoT), bring a new set of privacy, cybersecurity, and safety concerns, at a time when we have not fully addressed the challenges of the Internet era. XR technologies currently being used to create virtual worlds introduce real-world risks to humans, amplified as we evolve towards the Metaverse. Kavya Pearlman, founder and CEO of the XR Safety Initiative (XRSI), recognized the coming wave of technology challenges in 2018 and started research into the massive data collection associated with virtual worlds and the real risks that come with them. Most privacy laws and data protection principles of our times are going to be inadequate because they do not fully address the risks related to the processing of XR data, giving way to undermining human rights.

The Growing Value of XR in Healthcare report has been created in response to the pressing need to have access to more accurate and representative intelligence and market data to help inform emerging strategies and priorities within the public and private sector in the UK.

XR refers to Extended Reality and covers Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR) and Virtual Reality (VR), haptics, interfaces, platforms and software and will often be referred to as immersive technologies within the context of this report. The healthcare sector referred to covers health and social care in public and private services, in clinical and non-clinical settings.

The report has been developed in partnership with NHSX, Health Education England Technology Enhanced Learning Team, UKRI Audience of the Future Challenge,  NIHR Mental Health Medtech Cooperative (MindTech) and Rescape. It has been supported by the Sheffield Hallam University Impact VR Research lab and the X Reality Safety Intelligence (XRSI) whose collective support has been critical in making this report happen. The report was also supported by a business donation from Pfizer Limited.  The report findings will help government and public health services make informed decisions about future strategies to ensure the UK is in the best position to fully exploit the potential of XR in healthcare today and ultimately improve patient outcomes and the quality of people’s lives into the future.

In partnership with emteq labs

Whilst virtual reality technologies have been available for decades, we are now in a period of rapid growth in virtual, augmented and mixed reality technologies, collectively known as XR.

The acceleration in XR availability and adoption can be attributed to many factors, principally, a reduction in hardware cost, increases the availability of high-speed high-quality connectivity, and most recently, shifts in society brought on by the global pandemic.

As with all emerging technologies, the confluence of new economic and societal norms with new techniques and capabilities gives rise to new opportunities, challenges, and entirely new paradigms.

This paper is based on discussions held during a roundtable conversation between members of the XR Safety Initiative (XRSI) panel, in partnership with emteq labs. The paper examines the opportunities and perils of XR technology and what should be done from a safety and security point of view to maximise the potential for good, whilst mitigating opportunities for harm.

This guide serves all of the artist and media communities. However, it zooms in on the subject of privacy and security for Individual creators, creative collaborators, and artistic developers. No matter which role you play, this guide can be used to ensure the key privacy and security considerations are taken into account during the design of XR products and experiences. Early adoption of these practices will help limit potential cybersecurity and privacy threats.

Taking privacy and security into consideration might not be a part of the natural creative process. However, it is essential to pay attention to these aspects when designing and developing. These proactive actions protect the artists themselves and the audience that may potentially interact with the art or enter into the same thought space as the one intended by the artist. Today’s artists and developers are setting a precedent that will be followed by generations. Therefore we must get it right to create a safe and trustworthy ecosystem.

More information on https://www.artizen.fund/grant/xr-safety-grant

Hiya! I’m Captain Cuttle. Come along with me on an adventure into brave new realities!

On this adventure into Virtual Worlds together we will go on a  Quest for Safety for all explorers. Together we will make sure everyone, even your friends and family, read the Explorer Notes so we can all play safe.

Important SAFETY TIPS Parents NEED TO KNOW about VIRTUAL REALITY

With the Holiday season around the corner, there are going to be a lot of kids with new Virtual Reality (VR) headsets. One of the most common uses of VR is gaming because it gives players an incredibly immersive experience. VR can be a fantastic medium for education, letting adults and children alike feel immersed in the subjects they’re exploring, whether that’s a historic city or human anatomy.

If you are a parent, a teacher, or a guardian, you may be confused about whether VR is safe for children. There are several ways for you to enable safe exploration of VR technology, with a key understanding in mind: It is your responsibility to guide your kids to facilitate safe, responsible, and healthy relationships with VR. With an objective to help facilitate safe exploration of VR for kids, XRSI has put together Top 7 Safety Tips for parents.

XR Industry is moving fast, so is the urgency to create standards, guidelines, and awareness for XR stakeholders. Recent news about data, privacy, and safety concerns are growing as technological advancements take place. To address this urgent XRSI is releasing a novel Privacy and Safety framework version 1.0.

The framework is a free, globally accessible baseline rulebook built by bringing together a diverse set of experts from various backgrounds and domains, including privacy and cybersecurity, cloud computing, immersive technologies, artificial intelligence, legal, artists, product design, engineering, and many more. 

How the UK can reap the benefits of the latest healthcare innovations that use immersive technology.

Immersive technology has provided new and enhanced healthcare solutions and treatments over recent decades. As the technology matures, there are great expectations of its potential to further promote the advancement of medicine through a wide range of new and enhanced devices and treatments.

With that said, innovators and researchers at the cutting edge of this novel field face structural, financial, and regulatory challenges as they seek to achieve medical benefits. The conference concluded that action is needed to address these issues and release the potential of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) to help provide enhanced healthcare services. Participants proposed a range of measures that would help to address problems in the field, which form the basis for the recommendations of this report.

This Institution of Engineering and Technology (The IET) insight, introduces immersive healthcare technology in the UK and has been written for all those academic, industry and policy stakeholders that are interested in the subject of immersive healthcare.
Immersive healthcare continues to advance but there are still many challenges and concerns that need to be addressed.
This IET document seeks to provide insight into key issues, views and recommendations given at the Think Big: Future Health and Life Sciences Unconference, jointly hosted by the IET, Immerse UK and Hatsumi VR in November 2019. It contains a summary of key recommendations from participants, data and ethical challenges and case studies.

The author of the report is Liz Heron. This document was reviewed by the members of the IET’s Healthcare Sector and immersive healthcare technology participants in the Think Big: Future Health and Life Science Unconference: Andreea Ion Cojocaru (Numena), Charles Lowe (Digital Health and Care Alliance), Chris Lowthorpe (InGame), David Calder (KTN), Fiona Kilkelly (Immerse UK), Gabriela Juarez Martinez (KTN), Georgie Weston (Aquarius Population Health), Glenn Hapgood (ReScape), Ivan Phelan (Sheffield Hallam University), Jessica LaCombe (Tiny Victories), Kate Parkinson (Also Known As), Kavya Pearlman (XR Safety Initiative), Neil Mortimer (WMAHSN), Niki Smit (Deep/Monobanda), Nury Moreira (IET), Rebecca Farmer (Severn Hospice), Ria Carline (Greener Games), Rosie Collins (The Fred Company), Ross O’Brien (Central & North West London NHS Foundation Trust), Sarah Ticho (Hatsumi), Tony Langford (Mindfulness Centre of Excellence)

X Reality Safety Intelligence (XRSI) releases the first set of standard definitions and taxonomies for the immersive technologies and related domains. The document sets the common baseline for a shared vocabulary in the industry, marking the first step in the creation of a full Data Classification Framework, therefore, is not to be considered complete. Additional taxonomies and new publications are to be added continually.

The XR domain needs a new mindset. As we examine this concept collectively, we learn the magnitude of the potential impact on humanity’s well-being. Furthermore, when we introduce the exponential global aspect of immersive technology and the effect of the recent catalyzing events, we sense the urgency to create a baseline for designing and developing these ecosystems.

The Immersive Technology Standards for Accessibility, Inclusion, Ethics, and Safety is written for a time such as this, with the intent to serve as the blueprint for all that have a stake in the vastly evolving and emerging XR ecosystem. Now is the time to lay down the foundation on which these new ecosystems provide more equitable opportunities and inclusive advancement for all.