Augmented Reality, Augmented Epistemology, and the Real-World Web

Abstract

Augmented reality (AR) technologies function to ‘augment’ normal perception by superimposing virtual objects onto an agent’s visual field. The philosophy of augmented reality is a small but growing subfield within the philosophy of technology. Existing work in this subfield includes research on the phenomenology of augmented experiences, the metaphysics of virtual objects, and different ethical issues associated with AR systems, including (but not limited to) issues of privacy, property rights, ownership, trust, and informed consent. This paper addresses some epistemological issues posed by AR systems. I focus on a near-future version of AR technology called the Real-World Web, which promises to radically transform the nature of our relationship to digital information by mixing the virtual with the physical. I argue that the Real-World Web (RWW) threatens to exacerbate three existing epistemic problems in the digital age: the problem of digital distraction, the problem of digital deception, and the problem of digital divergence. The RWW is poised to present new versions of these problems in the form of what I call the augmented attention economy, augmented skepticism, and the problem of other augmented minds. The paper draws on a range of empirical research on AR and offers a phenomenological analysis of virtual objects as perceptual affordances to help ground and guide the speculative nature of the discussion. It also considers a few policy-based and designed-based proposals to mitigate the epistemic threats posed by AR technology.

Replika in the Metaverse: the moral problem with empathy in ‘It from Bit’

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A Comparative Analysis of Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality

“…The system through which augmented reality is performed generally provides a real world scene whereas the system that is used for experiencing the virtual reality provides an immersive virtual world. If a person is exploring the technology of augmented reality the person will have some connection with the real world but when it comes to the virtual reality a person gets total control of the system which they are using [12]. In short it can be said that with the virtual reality technology person loses its full control from the real world and they become dependent on the visuals and surroundings that are provided and designed in the virtual world.…”

The Metaverse: Surveillant Physics, Virtual Realist Governance, and the Missing Commons

“…The so-called Metaverse is widely advocated by much of the technology industry to involve three-dimensional Internet experiences, accessible by input devices such as cameras, augmented reality, virtual reality and biometrics. This paper avers that whilst it is not at all clear what the Metaverse will end up being named (if anything), what the hype and investment will amount to or whether the current Metaverse hype bubble will collapse back into an interest in mixed reality, nonetheless, the rhetoric and investment in the Metaverse signal changes in human-media interaction that should be taken seriously (Floridi, 2022;Turner, 2022). The reader, however, should be aware that this paper offers no predictions about the future, nor what the Metaverse will be like if it progresses to being part of everyday life.…”