Pervasive Augmented Reality—Technology and Ethics

In the foreseeable future, mobile and wearable computing technology with an augmented reality (AR) interface can provide an omnipresent, environmentally adaptive, and everyday reality augmentation. This new pervasive AR technology will lead to a continuous moderation of experienced reality with the potential to support better and faster decision-making, the exploration of new information, and novel ways of communication, interaction, and collaboration. However, pervasive AR technology will also have undesired consequences, e.g., in the areas of privacy, commercial exploitation, distractions, digital inequality, and our perception of what is true and real. Little is known about how severe these effects will be when AR has become pervasive and how they can be prevented or mitigated. We draw on current developments in research and the market, sketch a near-time future of pervasive AR technology, identify ethical considerations, and discuss the development of pervasive AR systems.