Virtual reality and work: Ethical and inclusion implications of facial representation in VR

• VR facial tracking and facial (mis)representation have ethical, diversity, equity & inclusion implications. • The AI4People ethical framework provided the theoretical lens. • Semi-structured interviews found various ethical and inclusion implications of facial (mis)representation. • Autonomy & justice principles linked to inclusion benefits & challenges, helping inform organizational strategizing with VR. As virtual reality (VR), and specifically facial representation in VR, extend into the workplace and beyond, it is increasingly important to consider the ethical as well as the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) implications of the technology. In this study we investigate, through semi-structured expert interviews with academics, VR developers, and VR end users, the perceived ethical and DEI implications of facial tracking VR technology, with a focus on identifying these stakeholders’ views of facial (mis)representations in VR. We utilize the AI4People ethical framework as the analytical lens and identify both ethical benefits and concerns across the five dimensions of this framework ( beneficence ; non-maleficence ; autonomy ; justice ; and explicability ). Most of the concerns raised centered around the non-maleficence principle, privacy issues, and intersected with DEI issues, particularly through the autonomy and justice principles. The ethical benefits identified connected to the beneficence , justice , and autonomy principles. From a DEI perspective, the technology was seen as a double-edged sword leading to both opportunities and challenges for inclusion in the context of facial representation in VR. We conclude with the strategic implications of managing these tensions within organizations.