The Rise of XR: The Boundaries Between Virtual and Real Are Blurring

Extended Reality (XR) is moving from novelty to necessity. In this talk Maged Farrag will map today’s XR landscape and show practical, real-world applications across cultural heritage, industrial operations, and workforce training. Through concise case examples and hands-on patterns, he’ll explain how XR — when combined with AI, spatial computing, and cloud/edge systems is shifting workflows, improving learning outcomes, and creating new forms of engagement. Attendees will leave with a simple framework to evaluate XR opportunities, concrete pilot patterns, and a clear view of the near-term impacts XR can deliver.