Existing Law and Extended Reality
A Research Symposium at Stanford Law School
January 5-6, 2023
Supported by the Knight Foundation and the Minderoo Foundation
Symposium Purpose
The age of virtual and augmented reality is here.
New virtual reality and augmented reality (XR collectively) developments are poised to reconfigure commerce, enterprise, education, and entertainment. McKinsey projects that the metaverse could reach $5 trillion in value by 2030. In the wake of investment, it is clear that this new wave of spatial computing is more than a fad or a mere gaming platform.
As legal scholars, it is vital to examine how XR hardware and immersive experiences may impact users and their communities. What do we know and what is still unknown about how XR interfaces affect our bodies and minds? What is next in product development? How should neuroscience and behavioral science guide the formation of XR regulation, policy, and law?
Like the internet before it, the metaverse will be governed by preexisting legal regimes. How will IP, privacy law, torts, and criminal law apply to the metaverse? What are the foundational questions that need to be considered, especially with passthrough XR, hybrid web-verse interfaces, and new financial systems? What novel challenges will emerge from users’ behavior in immersive experiences?
Early efforts at social VR experiences have been beset by harms like sexual harassment, hate speech, and digital assaults. Who should make the rules for virtual worlds -- regulators, creators or platforms? How should this differ from social media content moderation regimes? What possibilities exist for intra-platform and cross-platform governance?
Finally, nations will be expected to interact with the metaverse, just as they maintain online presences and exercise oversight over online activities. How will XR activity impact offline governance? What are the possibilities for trade, cybersecurity, international relations, and civic services? What role should the industry take in self-regulation? Will XR be covered by standards for artificial intelligence and responsible innovation, and if so, how should this be implemented?
Agenda
January 5:
All times in PST.
5 pm - 6 pm Happy Hour at Cafe Pro Bono, 2437 Birch St, Palo Alto
Demos and tutorial on XR headsets and AR glasses available
6 pm - 8 pm Speaker's Dinner and Speaker
Philip Rosedale, Founder of Linden Lab
January 6:
All times in PST.
8 am - 10 am Morning activity (FULL)
Tour of Stanford Virtual Human Interaction Lab, Building 120, McClatchy Hall, Room 411
Tour of Stanford classroom in the metaverse
Breakfast will be provided for tour participants in Building 120 McClatchy Hall, Room 452
Conference Registration at Stanford University, Jen-Hsun Huang Engineering Center,
Breakfast for all participants served at Mackenzie Room
10:15 am - 11 am Keynote: Fundamentals and Emerging Issues in XR
Jeremy Bailenson, Stanford University
11 am - 11:45 am Panel 1: XR, Constitutional Law, and Criminal Law
Joseph Palmer, US Department of Justice
Amie Stephanovich, Future on Privacy Forum
Eugene Volokh, UCLA Law School
11:45 am - 12:15 pm Coffee break
Please grab your lunch
12:15 pm - 12:30 pm Lightning Talk, Philosophical Frameworks for the Metaverse
Kent Bye, Voices of VR
12:30 pm - 1:15 pm Panel 2: New Technology, Old Property Laws
Mark Lemley, Stanford Law School
Tiffany Li, University of New Hampshire Law School
Micaela Mantegna, University of San Andres
Michael Running Wolf, McGill University
1:15 pm - 1:45 pm Lightning talks: Medical uses of XR
Brennan Spiegel, Cedars-Sinai Hospital
Aubrey Shick, Food and Drug Administration
1:45 pm - 2:30 pm Panel 3: Regulating Virtual Worlds
Susan Aaronson, George Washington University
Jean-Noël Barrot, Government of France
Daniel Castano, Universidad Externado de Colombia
Florence G'Sell Macrez, Sciences Po
2:30 pm - 2:45 pm Lightning talk, A Deep Dive into Eye-tracking in XR
Avi Bar-Zeev, The XR Guild
2:45 pm - 3:00 pm 15 minute coffee break
3:00 pm - 3:45 pm Panel 4: New Harms, Old Torts
Mary Anne Franks, University of Miami Law School
Joe Jerome, Meta Reality Labs
Erick Ramirez, Santa Clara University
Jameson Spivack, Future on Privacy Forum
3:45 pm - 4 pm Lightning Talk, Political Speech and XR
Scott Bloomberg, University of Maine Law School
4 pm - 4:15 pm 15 minute break
4:15 pm - 4:30 pm Lightning Talk, Privacy and XR
Mark Miller, Stanford Virtual Human Interactivity Lab
4:30 pm - 5:15 pm Panel 5: Generative Content, AI and XR
Henry Ajder, Independent Expert
Brittan Heller, Stanford Cyber Policy Center
Kim Malfacini, Open AI
5:15 pm - 5:30 pm Lightning Talk, Funding Future Research in XR
Burcu Kilic, Minderoo Foundation
Eli Sugarman, Schmidt Futures
6 pm Closing Dinner in foyer, outside Mackenzie Room
Information for In-Person and Virtual Attendees
Thank you for signing up for our upcoming Existing Law and Extended Reality Symposium at Stanford Cyber Policy Center. We are excited to see you, virtually or in-person, on January 5-6th.
ATTENDANCE
* In-person events have been limited in number due to Covid safety. If you have Covid symptoms or have been exposed to Covid, please change your participation to virtual attendance.
* If you registered for the conference and you are now unable to make it in-person, please let us know by emailing bzr@stanford.edu and re-registering on the zoom webinar link. We will be able to change your attendance to virtual participation.
* The lab tour attendees will be notified on December 29th and the remaining people will be placed on a waiting list. If you signed up and did not receive a confirmation email, then we regrettably were unable to fit you on the tour.
LOCATION & REGISTRATION
* The Conference Registration at Stanford University, Jen-Hsun Huang Engineering Center, room 300 (Mackenzie Room). Please reference this map and parking information to help you find the location.
* Breakfast for all participants served at the Mackenzie Room, starting at 8am.
* You will be able to get your symposium registration materials on-site, starting at 8am.
FOOD
* While all may join us for the tech demos and happy hour on January 5th, the speakers' dinner service is limited to speakers only.
* On January 6th, breakfast and lunch will be provided, along with snacks and coffee breaks. Please join us for an on-site dinner for all attendees following the conference.
DAY-OF CONTACT
Contact bzr@stanford.edu if you run into difficulties.
Thank you and we're looking forward to seeing you!
Want to learn more about XR? This talk by the Stanford Virtual Human Interaction Lab founding director, Dr. Jeremy Bailenson, will help prepare you for the symposium.
In this talk, Dr. Bailenson discusses the psychology of virtual reality, and how the medium will transform the way companies and schools teach, train and operate, how they build culture, and how they communicate in an environment that offers countless opportunities for experimentation and innovation.
Special thanks to our partners at the Stanford Virtual Human Interaction Lab.
Please find our more about their work at https://stanfordvr.com/