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Joan O’Hara is senior vice president of public policy at the XR Association and co-author of Reality Check: Why the US Government Should Nurture XR Development.
With both the U.S. Congress and the Biden administration focused on AI regulation, it’s easy to imagine that securing critical funding to support immersive technology research and development is likely to be on the back burner.
While AI is at the top of today’s priority list, the United States cannot afford to fall behind in fostering the growth of immersive technologies as an integral part of our strategic vision. Immersive technology is driving economic growth, improving workforce skills, creating new jobs, and improving health outcomes by providing cutting-edge treatments and advanced training opportunities. . This technology has been designated critical by the National Science and Technology Council and the Department of Defense (DoD) because of its importance to national security and the economy. XR will help the United States address some of its most important strategic challenges, including industrial productivity, workforce development, education and opportunity, and environmental sustainability.
If we fail to maintain U.S. leadership and invest in immersive technology, other countries will step in as the global leader in the nearly $30 billion market for augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and mixed reality (MR). There is a possibility. As Augmented Reality (XR). XR technology is transforming the way we learn, work, and interact, and is poised to become the next major computing platform.
Just this year, the leaders of the G7, the world’s largest economies, issued a leaders’ communiqué recognizing the impact of XR technology and the Metaverse “on all industrial and social sectors.” The communiqué called for addressing issues related to “governance, public safety and human rights challenges” at a global level.
Immersive technology continues to be a focus of US technology companies, including Meta, Magic Leap, Apple, and Unity, which are investing heavily in XR. Just this year, Apple announced its first foray into the mixed reality space. In addition to this private sector investment, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle recognize the potential of XR, including his CHIPS and Science Act, which designated immersive technologies as a focus area for the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). This will make them eligible to receive a portion of the $280 billion in research and development funding.
However, two years after the passage of the CHIPS Act, the United States has not laid out a vision for XR, despite its importance to the economy and national security. A new report by the XR Association and George Washington University’s Digital Trade and Data Governance Hub finds that in contrast to other countries, the United States still provides little research and development support specifically for XR.
In this respect, China is in stark contrast to the United States. The country’s officials designated immersive technology as one of the “seven key industries of the digital economy,” demonstrating their commitment and ability to subsidize, cultivate and manage data-driven technologies. International Data Corporation predicts that China will capture 25% of the global XR market by 2026, with a compound annual growth rate of 42.2% over the next five years.
Similarly, South Korea has implemented a Digital New Deal initiative to foster “hyper-connected and immersive emerging industries that lead the digital future” and help Korean companies “go global” with innovative digital products and services. are doing. And in the EU, the European Commission (EC) recently announced more than $10 billion in funding for key technologies, including virtual reality, as part of the European Strategic Technology Platform (STEP). The UK and France have also developed strategies and policies to foster XR and introduce elements of the metaverse.
While the United States has the framework to advance its leadership in immersive technology, there are fundamental challenges that must be addressed to remain a leader in XR. One of the biggest challenges is a $7.5 billion funding gap for research institutions working to develop and invest in new immersive and emerging technologies. Federal funding for U.S. research agencies such as NSF and NIST has become even more important as governing bodies seek to keep up with the rapidly evolving technological landscape.
For example, the Biden-Harris administration’s Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence Executive Order prioritizes federal support to accelerate the development and use of privacy-preserving technologies and provides unfunded mandates for NSF and NIST. It has increased further.
Beyond the need for funding, to maintain America’s position as a global technology leader and take advantage of the transformative economic, security, and social benefits of XR, we are asking Congress to make several has outlined recommendations.
This includes developing a comprehensive national strategy for immersive technologies, passing a comprehensive federal data protection law, and fully funding federal XR research and development. Additionally, the State Department will host a Global Summit on XR to demonstrate U.S. leadership and foster further discussion and cooperation around complementary regulatory and governance frameworks that ensure XR technologies reflect democratic values. Should.
Technology does not advance at the speed of governments, so the United States needs to be aware that other countries are actively working to secure their positions in immersive technology. Without action, the United States could go backwards, with significant consequences for our industrial sector, manufacturers, educators, health care workers, and more.
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