XR and General Purpose AI: from values and principles to norms and standards (policy brief)

Resources

Guidelines

XR and General Purpose AI: from values and principles to norms and standards (policy brief)

Related Initiative

TechEthos

What is this about?

The TechEthos Policy Brief: XR and General Purpose AI explains key ethical challenges and policy recommendations for governing eXtended Reality (XR) technologies and General Purpose Artificial Intelligence (AI) within the European Union. It argues that values and high-level principles alone are insufficient for effective regulation; policymakers need concrete norms and standards to guide developers and regulators.

The brief highlights issues such as the indistinguishability between humans and AI representations, the use of personal and biometric data from XR devices to train advanced AI systems, and risks related to transparency, manipulation, dignity, responsibility, autonomy, labour conditions, decency, environmental impact, privacy and security. It offers specific suggestions to supplement the existing Assessment List for Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence (ALTAI) and to operationalize ethical principles in practice. Addressed mainly to EU policymakers and technology developers, the document supports stronger, actionable governance frameworks for emerging AI and XR technologies.

Why is this important?

This policy brief is important because it translates abstract ethical values into actionable norms and standards that can be integrated into AI and XR regulation, moving beyond generic principles that are hard to implement. By identifying emerging ethical risks such as manipulation, privacy invasions, and loss of human agency it provides policymakers with concrete recommendations to make future AI governance more effective and socially responsible. The brief’s operational focus strengthens the EU’s ongoing efforts to regulate AI technologies in ways that protect user rights and foster trustworthy innovation.

For whom is this important?

EU and national policymakersRegulators and public authoritiesTechnology developers and companiesResearchers and ethics expertsCivil Society and CitizensStandard-setting bodies and industry associations

Other information