Jaron Lanier
Virtual reality pioneer | Computer scientist reimagining technology's impact on humanity
About
Jaron Lanier is an American computer scientist, visual artist, and technologist widely recognized as a founder of the field of virtual reality. In 1985, he and Thomas G. Zimmerman left Atari to establish VPL Research, Inc.
, the first company to commercially sell VR goggles and wired gloves, fundamentally shaping how we interact with digital environments. Beyond his groundbreaking work in virtual reality, Lanier has established himself as a multifaceted innovator spanning technology, philosophy, and the arts. He is a computer philosophy writer, futurist, and composer of contemporary classical music, bringing a unique interdisciplinary perspective to complex technological challenges.
In the late 1990s, he contributed to Internet2 applications, and throughout the 2000s served as a visiting scholar at Silicon Graphics and various universities. Since 2006, he has worked at Microsoft, currently holding the position of Interdisciplinary Scientist at Microsoft Research since 2009, where he continues to explore the intersection of human experience and technological advancement.
What Jaron Talks About
Reimagining internet architecture and digital platform design
The future of virtual and augmented reality technologies
Technology's impact on human behavior and social structures
Interdisciplinary approaches to solving complex technological problems
Digital economics and alternative models for online platforms
Talks1
How we need to remake the internet
In the early days of digital culture, Jaron Lanier helped craft a vision for the internet as public commons where humanity could share its knowledge -- but even then, this vision was haunted by the dark side of how it could turn out: with personal devices that control our lives, monitor our data and feed us stimuli. (Sound familiar?) In this visionary talk, Lanier reflects on a "globally tragic, astoundingly ridiculous mistake" companies like Google and Facebook made at the foundation of digital culture -- and how we can undo it. "We cannot have a society in which, if two people wish to communicate, the only way that can happen is if it's financed by a third person who wishes to manipulate them," he says.
| Event | Year | Location |
|---|---|---|
| TED2018 | 2018 | 🇨🇦Vancouver, Canada |
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