New Bill Proposes Federal Panel and Advisor to Steer U.S. Strategy on VR, AR Tech

This legislation, the "United States Leadership in Immersive Technology Act of 2025," sets up a new structure within the Department of Commerce to guide the U.S. approach to immersive technologies like virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR). It directs the Secretary of Commerce to appoint a principal advisor and establish an Immersive Technology Advisory Panel within 180 days. The core goal is to figure out how the U.S. can lead globally in this fast-growing tech sector, ensuring it aligns with American economic interests, national security, and values.

Steering the Ship: Advisor and Panel

The bill creates two key roles. First, a Principal Advisor on Immersive Technology (Section 4) will be appointed to champion the tech's development, push for security recommendations, and coordinate efforts across different government agencies. Think of this person as the main point of contact for immersive tech within Commerce.

Second, an Immersive Technology Advisory Panel (Section 5) will be formed, chaired by someone appointed by the Secretary of Commerce. This panel is a mix of government heavyweights (like the Secretaries of Defense, Energy, Health, Labor, Education, etc.) and 6-10 outside experts from universities, think tanks, tech companies, and civil society. Their job is to advise on everything from economic impacts and technical standards to cybersecurity, ethical safeguards, data privacy, and working with allied nations. They're required to meet at least three times a year.

The Deep Dive: A Two-Year Study

The Advisory Panel isn't just for meetings; it's tasked with conducting a major study on the immersive technology industry within two years (Section 6). This study aims to get a clear picture of where the U.S. stands. It will look into:

• How immersive tech fits into the larger tech ecosystem and where strategic investments are needed.
• The economic ripple effects across sectors like manufacturing, healthcare, and education.
• How businesses are using this tech for services and workforce training.
• What kind of investment and staffing are needed for the U.S. to stay ahead globally.
• Potential standards or best practices to protect things like privacy, accessibility, digital identity, and intellectual property.
• The national and economic security pros and cons, and how to manage them.

Once the study is done, the findings and recommendations for Congress land on the Secretary's desk, who then has 90 days to report to Congress and post it online.

What This Means on the Ground

Essentially, this bill is about getting organized. It acknowledges that AR, VR, and MR aren't just for gaming anymore; they're becoming serious tools for work, training, and potentially much more. By creating the advisor and panel, the government is trying to build a coherent strategy instead of letting things develop haphazardly.

The study's focus areas (Section 6) hint at the big questions: How do we boost the economy with this tech without leaving workers behind? How do we encourage innovation while setting rules for privacy and ethical use? The bill calls for assessing safeguards (Section 5(d)) and identifying best practices (Section 6), but the specifics of those rules aren't defined here – that's what the panel is supposed to figure out and recommend. This leaves some uncertainty about how strongly individual rights like data privacy will be prioritized against economic or security goals, a key area to watch as the panel does its work.