On Feb. 28, I was invited to share my work on Responsible XR at SURF with the XR developer network! For the first time in 2024, the work of public values and ethics got to be shaped by the developers’ perspective(s).
The workshop had many interesting findings that we would like to share with you here in this post. Part of this workshop was understanding what ‘responsibility’ means in the context of XR and why it’s often different than usual expectations of work.
From this, we also try to build in a shared language to ground our ethical discussions. At SURF, we often rely on the public values compass (English/Nederlands) as an example : Find out more here. As well as what is the feelings that developers have about responsibility beyond their normal expectations.
Beyond discussion, the meeting and workshop aimed to do the following. That is: “We want an overview where your interest is, where we should put more care, what you need, and how it can be realized.”
This was followed by a question list that were filled out in groups.
Developers were also asked to fill out a mentimeter during this talk. These questions were not easy. They included much reflection on current work practices, such as ‘what is considered responsible practices in your work already?’ and ‘how often do public values come up in work/projects?’.
After public values were considered and reflected on, the inherent value they add to the work of these developers was obvious. The next question was naturally, ‘how can we include them more in the future, and what do you need?’
Now what?
The question lists during the meeting were evaluated and the answer is clear. Developers want more time to discuss this important topic. Moreover, the workshop revealed needs and wants for building awareness around Responsible XR, and desire to share experiences between developers around ethics at places like the Developer network.
If you’re interested in creating or sharing tools that you think inspire or enable Responsible XR, please share them here or with me!
Going forward, the XR developer network will continue to be a great source for the Responsible XR Project to go to for perspectives from developers. This year may allow for another Responsible XR workshop at the developer network, and we will let you know if that gets planned!
For now, please comment on your thoughts about this workshop! What does it make you think of? Do public values come up in your work as a developer? Do you have tools to benefit things like accessbility, or guidelines for well-being in XR? These emerging values continue to evolve as the technology does itself; so thanks for having me XR Developer Network!
For more information on Responsible Technologies at SURF, take a look at: Responsible tech: how we ensure new technologies meet public values (Find out more here).