Back at the Agenda Conference in Kongsberg for the second year in a row!
This time, I had the privilege of joining a panel on “EU Code of Conduct for Responsible XR Technologies,” moderated by Rigmor Baraas from the University of South-Eastern Norway.
It’s a definitely an interesting topic to explore, whether we are close to introducing such a guideline, or if it’s something a bit further ahead. So, what does the future of XR regulation look like? What role will the EU play? And more specifically, how will a Code of Conduct align with the real-world needs of industrial XR creation – the kind of work we do at PaleBlue?
The Code of Conduct in question is an EU-funded initiative aimed at ensuring XR technologies respect human rights, protect user privacy, promote inclusivity, and safeguard the well-being of all users.
It makes a lot of sense to think about guardrails – especially in contexts where users span all ages, from children to adults. The edutainment use cases are relatively easy to imagine. But what happens when we talk about industrial XR?
Industrial XR lives within a corporate context and brings with it a unique set of characteristics:
- Broad use case spectrum: XR is used for everything from real-time operational support to astronaut training and mission planning.
- Value-first budgeting: ROI matters. Clients want to maximize value, often pushing production schedules over safeguards.
- High complexity: Training apps can be long and intricate. One of our recent energy sector modules takes 40 minutes to complete.
- Global audiences: Users come from diverse geographic and cultural contexts, requiring adapting regulation.
- Client-led governance: Ethical, privacy, and user wellbeing choices are often dictated by the corporate client, not the XR developer.
- Existing IT frameworks: Corporations already have policies and infrastructures for data handling, privacy, and security.
So what does this mean for regulation?
There is definitely a lot of ground to cover in reconciling the industrial specifics while constructing a broader set of guidelines for XR. If a set of guidelines is to be set up, there will be some opportunities:
- Existing corporate policies can contribute to form a broader Code of Conduct.
- Likewise, companies can benefit from best practices the Code offers.
- As this is an EU-led initiative, the EU can spearhead the development, while the other regions can follow.
- Industry-wide IT standards – especially around personal data, security, and compliance – can be contributing to an XR standard.
So, does XR need regulation? And if yes, what should that look like for industrial XR?