“Immersive technology holds great promise for new forms of education, social interaction, medical treatment, and artistic expression. My own work, in collaboration with the ITA, is about enabling the well being of end users and the positive outcome of technologies such as virtual reality and augmented reality. We are all still learning what this powerful media is capable of, and the alliance provides a valuable opportunity for technology and content makers to build the required tool sets for safe and viable experiences.” – Dr. Michael Madary, Responsible Consumer VR Experience Working Group Lead .
Dr. Michael Madary, one of the foremost experts on virtual reality (VR) ethics, is leading a new ITA working group to develop safe practices and responsible consumer targeting for VR content and products. Dr. Madary works on the ethics of emerging technology, especially immersive technology such as virtual reality. His research is interdisciplinary and draws from philosophy of mind, psychology, and neuroscience. In February 2016, in collaboration with Thomas Metzinger, Michael published the first code of ethics for research and consumer use of VR, which received widespread media attention. He has published widely in the philosophy of perception, including a book, “Visual Phenomenology,” currently in production with MIT Press.
The alliance firmly believes that it’s in everyone’s interest to understand their work so appropriate consumer targeting and well being is ensured. This open conversation will help secure long term product viability, and all market leaders are welcome to be present.