Ten years from now, we'll interact with the world via smartglasses that provide us with contextual and relevant inputs powered by AI. How can designers and developers start thinking about and building for this future to make sure it benefits humans? How can we make sure this technology is evenly distributed and not hamstrung by infrastructure failures? And in an "always-on" meta-physical world, how do we find time to disconnect and think?

About the Speaker:
Cortney Harding is an in-demand expert in helping businesses harness the power of artificial intelligence, spatial computing, and virtual reality. She has created AI-powered conversational avatars for companies like Amazon, Delta, and McDonalds, and virtual reality training scenarios around topics like child abuse, workplace exclusion, mental health, Black maternal mortality, and racial bias for companies like Lowe’s, Walmart, PWC, Target, and more. She routinely leads workshops for Fortune 100 companies and universities on how to use AI and VR in education and training.

Her work as been honored on numerous occasions. As an executive producer on JFK Memento, she was nominated for an Emmy and the piece won the audience award for best XR at SXSW and Best in the World at the QLD XR Festival. Her work has also been honored as the Best VR/AR of 2019 at Mobile World Congress, a SXSW Innovation Award Finalist, and a Top HR Product by HR Executive. Her latest book, "The Spatial Race," was released in October 2025.

She is currently a member of the Fast Future Executive faculty and a co-author the "Fast Future Blur" (Wiley, 2024). She has taught at CalTech, NYU, Barnard, North Carolina State University, and New Mexico State University, as well as co-writing and co-teaching the Coursera course "What is the Metaverse?" on behalf of Meta.

Explore how XR is being applied in real industrial environments, with a focus on AEC and structural steel fabrication. Rather than highlighting experimental concepts or future-facing demos, the discussion centers on how XR moves from early interest to practical, day-to-day use on the shop floor.

Grounded in real-world engagement with companies such as Novel Iron Works, the session examines why heavy-industry organizations are evaluating XR, the challenges they face around precision and workflow integration, and what it takes to deploy immersive tools in production environments. The conversation connects broad XR industry insight with application-level experience delivering XR solutions for AEC and steel fabrication workflows.

About the Speakers:

Dan Cui is a 30+ year veteran of emerging technologies, specializing in the strategic launch and market adoption of breakthrough products across AR/XR and AI. An Augmented Reality pioneer since 2006, he played a key role in the creation of the world’s first Android-based AR smartglasses, later acquired by Google for Google Glass. He also led the launch of the Vuzix M100 and secured a strategic co-branded partnership with Lenovo China, accelerating AR adoption in Asia.

Dan is known for bridging advanced technology with real-world, ROI-driven applications. His work at eMagin earned a CES 2017 Innovation Award for integrating AR into a mobile night-vision product, and more recently he has helped companies across multiple industries adopt XR solutions to improve performance and quality.

A recognized industry leader and communicator, Dan served as MC and lead panel moderator for the opening keynote at Experiential during MIT Reality Hack 2025.

Randolph Warnaar is a visionary leader with over 20 years of experience in the metals manufacturing industry. As an owner of Warnaar Steel-Tech, he has consistently pushed the boundaries of innovation. Randolph's passion for technology led him to establish Eterio Realities, a pioneering software company focused on Industrial AR solutions. He founded Eterio Realities to address a critical disconnect between the office and the production floor, where 3D CAD designs were not being utilized effectively during production. Through persistence and ability to use domain expertise to merge innovation with practical solutions, he has led an exceptional team to create FabStation into a leading Industrial AR brand.