Audience Opinion Piece

In previous months’ articles, I’ve given an overview of what the XR at Work community exists to be. Also, in September, I talked about my experience with where to start the journey of putting XR into your enterprise. Both are very tactical, and practical, articles that help practitioners with two things they need to succeed: a network and proper identification of relevant use cases. This month, I’m going to get “out there” a bit and share with you some thoughts on how you can help advance our industry and ensure the future success of XR for generations to come.  

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On October 23, 2024, I was able to stand before the Georgia State Senate Research Committee on Artificial Intelligence and share my thoughts and recommendations. This is a joint effort in our state between the state House and Senate to research how AI is benefiting various industries in Georgia. This month’s meeting was focused on agriculture and workforce development. Being as I cannot get proper grass to grow in my front yard it’s obvious to say I was speaking to workforce issues locally.  

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The reason I bring this up is because for years I have been so laser-focused on implementing emerging technologies inside of manufacturing facilities that I’ve not put any effort into the policy or advocacy sides of the technology industry. Sure, I’ve attended the XR Association’s annual ARVR Policy Conference in DC. I even took a call from Senator John Ossoff’s office last year to share my experience with technology in Georgia. It was interesting but I still felt disconnected from the frontlines of government relations and advocacy. I seem to be watching those that are involved in public policy from the window of the factory thinking, “Good for them. Somebody should do it.” What I’m starting to realize are a few things:

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1. If everyone is waiting for somebody else to do it, nobody will do it. Now, this is a bit of an exaggeration as somebody IS doing it. But why shouldn’t I help? We can all be a part of the solution.

2. You don’t have to go stand before Congress to have a voice and help shape the future. You can help those that are speaking to policy makers. You can help by providing data and statistics. You can get involved in your state’s manufacturers’ association. (I’m a member and council vice-chair for the Georgia Association of Manufacturers AI & Innovation Council) Public speaking isn’t for everyone but there are things you can do to help the efforts.  

3. We are in the early stages of some impactful (and often misunderstood) technologies. We get to say now what we want the tech to do and not do. All of us are pioneers in the early days of AI, as it will come to be known.  

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One of the things I have realized in my ‘senior years’ as a technologist, having been in tech for almost 30 years, is that “it takes all types of people”. Some put headsets on frontline workers, some write books, some are social media influencers, some are coders or designers and even others are in software and hardware sales as vendors. No one group is right and no one group can advance XR in the world alone. We all have a role (or two) to play in this. The person that organizes the industry conferences and research organizations is just as important to the industry’s success and longevity as the person that speaks from the stage or organizes the meetups in local cities. I guess what I’m also saying is that just because you’re doing one thing doesn’t mean you can’t also do another. Get involved in great conferences like MX0 or the Augmented Enterprise Summit. Join a startup as an advisor. Speak to high school students through Pathful or sit on a public policy committee in your local community. There are tons of great ways to get involved and I know that you’re like me in that you want to see our children and grandchildren have access to technology for generations to come while protecting them from bad actors that would use the tech for less-than-honorable purposes.  

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I was fortunate enough to code for one of the largest public news websites in the world in the mid-90’s when the Internet was just getting going. Now I’m involved in shaping a whole new set of technologies in 2024. So are you! Thanks to everyone that’s in this industry no matter your role! It takes a village to raise a child and in this case to promote an industry.