The European Union’s AI Act is pending legislation that is classifying different AI applications across different tiers of risk, and there are a number of ways that this legislation could shape the future of how the Metaverse unfolds, especially as there could be XR privacy implications depending upon how biometric data may be redefined and what types of inferences could be made by this data. I talk with Daniel Leufer of Access Now about the human rights approach for regulating AI applications, and how some of the pending legislation drafts of the AI Act (as of January 17, 2023) may have rippling effects for GDPR and ultimately what type of biometric privacy inferences could be made from XR data.

We cover the hierarchy of different AI risks, and how the AI Act is taking a tiered approach to legislating product safety of AI platforms with different requirements at different levels. He’s unpacked some of the common AI Myths as a Mozilla Fellow, and is on the frontlines of tracking the latest AI Act trilogue deliberative processes between the European Parliament, the Council of the European Union and the European Commission (which he breaks down in further detail in this interview).

The EU is anywhere between 5, 10, 15, or 20 years ahead of the United States when it comes to technology regulation, and so we reflect on the impacts and gaps within GDPR when it comes to XR Privacy, how the AI Act may or may not fill those gaps, and getting an in-depth sneak peak into how the AI Act may “become a global standard, determining to what extent AI has a positive rather than negative effect on your life wherever you may be.” There are many extensive implications about the AI Act that will likely impact the future development of XR technologies, how AI is deployed in virtual worlds, and how the Metaverse continues to develop and unfold.