As immersive technologies like virtual reality (VR) continue to evolve, enthusiasm for their adoption ebbs and flows. For years, it was almost a meme that Apple would eventually join the immersive technology space—and when they finally did with the Apple Vision Pro, it sparked a brief wave of excitement before fading. Now, the landscape is increasingly shaped by competition with artificial intelligence (AI), the current "flavor of the month" in tech.
XR Technology was once a slowly developing novelty, but has emerged as a cutting-edge tool with the potential to transform industries like healthcare, education, entertainment, and workforce training, though it still struggles to achieve mass adoption. People are becoming more curious about how AI-driven VR applications can create hyper-personalized, adaptive experiences, pushing the boundaries of interactivity and realism.
The industry outlook remains a mix of optimism and skepticism; while advancements in hardware, software, and AI are making immersive technologies more accessible and practical, skepticism still lingers. As these tools transition from niche markets to broader adoption, they hold the promise of reshaping how we work, learn, and engage with the world—but they need numbers and louder voices to champion this Next Evolution.
Presented by VRAR Chicago