S3E13: ’Building Safe AR / VR/ MR / XR Technology” with Spatial Computing Pioneer Avi Bar Zeev (XR Guild)

In this episode, I had the pleasure of talking with Avi Bar-Zeev, a true tech pioneer and the Founder and President of The XR Guild. With over three decades of experience, Avi has an impressive resume, including launching Disney's Aladdin VR ride, developing Second Life's 3D worlds, co-founding Keyhole (which became Google Earth), co-inventing Microsoft's HoloLens, and contributing to the Amazon Echo Frames. The XR Guild is a nonprofit organization that promotes ethics in extended reality (XR) through mentorship, networking, and educational resources. 

Throughout our conversation, we dive into privacy concerns in augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and the metaverse, highlighting increased data misuse and manipulation risks as technology progresses. Avi shares his insights on how product and development teams can continue to be innovative while still upholding responsible, ethical standards with clear principles and guidelines to protect users' personal data. Plus, he explains the role of eye-tracking technology and why he advocates classifying its data as health data. We also discuss the challenges of anonymizing biometric data, informed consent, and the need for ethics training in all of the tech industry. 

Topics Covered: 

• The top privacy and misinformation issues that Avi has noticed when it comes to AR, VR, and metaverse data
• Why Avi advocates for classifying eye tracking data as health data 
• The dangers of unchecked AI manipulation and why we need to be more aware and in control of our online presence 
• The ethical considerations for experimentation in highly regulated industries
• Whether it is possible to anonymize VR and AR data
• Ways these product and development teams can be innovative while maintaining ethics and avoiding harm 
• AR risks vs VR risks
• Advice and privacy principles to keep in mind for technologists who are building AR and VR systems 
• Understanding The XR Guild 

Resources Mentioned:

• Read: The Battle for Your Brain: Defending the Right to Think Freely in the Age of Neurotechnology
• Read: Our Next Reality

Guest Info: 

• Connect with Avi on LinkedIn
• Check out the XR Guild
• Learn about Avi's Consulting Services

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