The Ethics of Extended Realities
A comprehensive review of ethics in Extended Reality (XR) technologies, exploring issues and proposing solutions across various domains.
Note!
This work was submitted in partial fulfilment for a master’s degree in Human–Computer Interaction at Uppsala University, Sweden. Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for components of this work owned by others than the author must be honoured.
Summary
Overview
Extended Reality technologies, including Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and Mixed Reality, are gaining popularity due to their affordable and beneficial nature. Several ethical issues have been found to arise as these technologies are put to use in various contexts. Most ethical aspects of XR technologies and their applications have been largely explored within a specific context like individual technologies, applications, or demographics. There is a lack of comprehensive research focusing on the overall ethical landscape of XR.
This study aims to bridge this gap by conducting a Systematic Literature Review to investigate ethical issues and concerns in XR technologies, explore the adverse effects and barriers they create, and identify ethical solutions and recommendations to address these challenges. The findings of this study reveal that the use of XR technologies gives rise to numerous ethical issues and concerns, including social implications, privacy risks, and moral dilemmas. These issues have far-reaching impacts on various aspects of human life. Therefore, it is crucial to address them in order to develop XR solutions that are both safe and ethical.
Project Duration
January 2023 - June 2023
Status
Collaboration
- Research Institutes of Sweden (RISE)
- Uppsala University (UU)
Team
- Karthik V Meenaakshisundaram (Author)
- Asreen Rostami (Thesis Supervisor, RISE)
- Paulina Rajkowska (Thesis Supervisor, UU)
Roles
- HCI Research
- Visual Design
Tools
- MAXQDA (Qualitative Data Analysis)
- Figma (Flowcharts & Visualitation)
- Adobe Illustrator (Illusatrations)
- Overleaf (Report Formatting)
The topic of the thesis revolves around "Ethics of Extended Realities (XR)," with a focus on conducting a thorough Systematic Literature Review to delve into the ethical landscape surrounding Extended Reality (XR) technologies, which encompass Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and Mixed Reality. The study aims to unearth and scrutinize the ethical issues emanating from the integration of XR technologies across diverse domains. It also delves into the adverse ramifications and obstacles engendered by these issues, accompanied by discussions on ethical remedies and recommendations to tackle the identified challenges.
XR technologies have garnered widespread popularity owing to their affordability and multifaceted advantages. However, their widespread adoption has concurrently raised ethical concerns. Prior research predominantly zoomed into specific contexts, technologies, or applications, leading to an incomplete understanding of the overarching ethical panorama of XR. This study seeks to bridge this gap by furnishing a comprehensive assessment of the ethical implications inherent in XR technologies.
The study's findings shed light on a plethora of ethical quandaries and concerns stemming from the utilization of XR technologies, spanning social ramifications, privacy encroachments, and moral quandaries. These concerns cast a significant impact on various facets of human life, underscoring the imperative nature of addressing them for the cultivation of safe and ethical XR solutions. The research lays down the groundwork for future explorations aimed at comprehending and redressing the ethical implications of XR technologies, thereby contributing to the cultivation of responsible and sustainable XR ecosystems.
Given the burgeoning growth and widespread adoption of XR technology, the thesis holds substantial value. The insights gleaned from the study can be harnessed by both academic scholars and industry practitioners operating in the realms of XR, Human-Computer Interaction, and Ethics to grasp the potential detriments associated with these technologies and devise strategies to mitigate them. Furthermore, the study's scope can be expanded to further enrich the existing body of knowledge in this domain, fostering continual advancement and innovation in the field.