What’s it really like to work in XR?

Amy Peck (Founder and CEO at Endeavour XR) came to #LEAP23 to share her unique perspective on the state of the metaverse, and how blended reality tech is blurring the boundaries between physical and digital life. 

We caught up with her after the event to get more insights into what it’s like to work in XR and VR – and find out where these technologies are going to have the biggest impact. 

Peck also shared some of the concrete ways that XR is already changing the world. But that deserves a blog post all of its own – so watch out for that in the coming weeks.

We know this is a tough question – but what might a day in your professional life look like? 

“My work takes me all over the world, so it’s hard to say that there is such a thing as a typical day! That said, no matter where I am, I try to start my day with client calls to check in on any of the projects we are working on and ensure that everything is running smoothly. 

“When we are working with a new client, one of the first things we do is a Future Visioning and Discovery session. This is similar to Design Thinking, but we’ve built this program from the ground up based on behavioural and neuroscience research and traditional Discovery methodology. You might think of it as marrying existing business priorities with a future vision. But first, we need to give our clients the tools to think more broadly about innovation. 

“Once we have developed the strategy, we move to Phase 2 – execution. This usually begins with a Proof of Concept (PoC). Phase 3 is scale, and is often the most challenging, but also exhilarating. From the day we first work with a client – we always consider scalability. 

“Our goal is to help our clients have an expansive vision for their future products and services, then we create the strategy, technology resources, and workforce development to achieve the vision.  

It’s always exciting every day!”

What excites you most about XR tech, and how do you think it could change our lives and/or society?  

“I’m excited about all of it! I hope to inspire people to engage in the future from a personal perspective. If we are thoughtful about building this next phase of our lives, I believe technology will truly augment the human experience. 

“There’s so much we can do to improve our lives with XR and other emerging technologies like AI and Blockchain. We have an opportunity to solve some of the world’s biggest problems, create strategies to allow the natural order of the planet to be restored and enable resilience and most importantly, create a global society that allows us to celebrate our respective cultures.  

“These technologies will impact every aspect of our lives, so it is of the utmost importance that we build a vision for how we’d like to live in the future. We can use immersive technology, digital twins and AI to model and simulate our ideal scenarios – both for business and in our personal lives.  

“Instead of trying to predict the future, I believe we have an opportunity to create the future. This is already happening in Saudi Arabia with incredible projects like Diriyah, Qiddiya and NEOM. This is the vision we need to propel us into the future! 

“As Arthur C. Clark wrote, ‘Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.’”

In which sectors do you think AR/VR could have the biggest impact – and why?  

“At EndeavorXR, we focus on the horizontal use cases because we believe that XR, along with AI, Blockchain and Robotics, will transform all businesses, much like the smartphone did in the 90s and into the early 2000s. 

“The 4 primary pillars we focus on are: 

• Collaboration & Communication 
• Education & Training 
• Design 
• Visualisation  

“There are many other use cases, but these are an excellent place for any company to begin their XR transformation. 

“Every company can benefit in at least one, if not all, of these areas within their business. There is a wealth of data that supports the efficacy and ROI of immersive technologies, and this will continue to grow as the technology evolves.”  

Could you share any key milestones that EndeavorXR has reached over the last year or so?  

“In the past two-three years, we have been working with several governments and municipalities on two primary focal points: 

“The first is around building an ecosystem of innovation through education, enterprise and government participation and enabling a startup culture. The second is around ISSCs – Inclusive Sustainable Smart Cities. This is why I’m so excited about Digital Twins.  

“We have incredible partners for both and together we have built frameworks for these kinds of initiatives.”

What did you gain from LEAP 2023?  

“LEAP was a phenomenal event! This was my 2^nd trip to Riyadh and the energy, the speakers, the startups – everything was amazing.  

“I met so many new business contacts, new colleagues, and new friends. I was fortunate to be on 2 panels – both with incredible speakers. The camaraderie between the speakers was also such a positive experience. I am still so inspired by the event and the future vision in Saudi – I don’t think it will ever fade!”

Thanks to Amy Peck at Endeavour XR. Register your interest for LEAP 2024 to learn more.