Subvolts take VR pioneer Jaron Lanier warns the internet harms society, democracy, and economies. Mar 22, 2019 - Developers
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A foundational figure in VR shares his critical views on the internet's societal impact.
Jaron Lanier: Father of Virtual Reality, Renaissance man
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From Subvolts
Summary and analysis by Subvolts editorial, AI-assisted.
Kevin Scott interviews Jaron Lanier, a pioneer in virtual reality and a vocal advocate for humanism in the digital age. Lanier, who created the first commercial VR products, expresses concern that the current internet may be damaging societies, democracies, and economies. The discussion explores the societal impact of digital technologies.
Jaron Lanier, who helped invent virtual reality, worries that the internet is hurting our world. He explains why he thinks this is happening and what it means for society, even though it's not directly about AI.
This episode offers a critical perspective on the internet's societal impact from a VR pioneer. It is for anyone interested in the long-term consequences of digital technology, especially those concerned about democracy and economics. While not directly about current AI models, Lanier's critique of the internet's architecture and its effects on human interaction and value creation provides a crucial backdrop for understanding the ethical considerations surrounding AI development and deployment by frontier labs.
- HostKevin Scott
- GuestJaron Lanierscientist, musician and author
- Guest: Jaron Lanier
- Title: Jaron Lanier: Father of Virtual Reality, Renaissance man
- Show: Behind The Tech with Kevin Scott
- Length: 61 minutes
- VPL Research created: first commercial Virtual Reality products
- VPL Research introduced: avatars, multi-person virtual world experiences, and prototypes of major VR applications
This scientist, musician and author is best known for his work in Virtual Reality, and his advocacy of humanism and sustainable economics in a digital context. His 1980's startup, VPL Research, created the first commercial Virtual Reality products - introducing avatars, multi-person virtual world experiences and prototypes of major VR applications. Hear why he is worried the present Internet may be destroying societies, democracies and economies.
- avatars
- Jaron Lanier
- digital representations of people in virtual spaces
- virtual reality
- Jaron Lanier
- computer generated environments you can interact with as if you were there
1 h 0634 minYear in Review 2024
WithXyla Foxlin, Lisa Su, Ben Laude, Ethan Mollick
Questions people ask
- Who is Jaron Lanier?
- Jaron Lanier is a scientist, musician, and author known for his work in virtual reality and advocacy for humanism in the digital context.
- What are Lanier's concerns about the internet?
- He worries that the present internet may be destroying societies, democracies, and economies.
Page generated Oct 19, 2026. Summaries are Subvolts' own; the audio, artwork and notes belong to Microsoft.