Beyond Human Actors: Leveraging AI for Enhanced Public Safety XR Training

Abstract

Law enforcement officers often respond to behavioral health crises, where individuals with mental health conditions face an 11.6-fold higher risk of police use of force. While extended reality (XR) offers a promising training solution for de-escalation, current systems lack the necessary realism for developing skills under pressure. This study introduces an XR training prototype powered by an AI-driven Non-Playable Character (NPC) to address these shortcomings. A two-phase evaluation assessed the system's usability and its training efficacy with officers. Results showed high user engagement, a strong sense of virtual presence, and an optimized cognitive load for learning. Most significantly, participating officers demonstrated a 50% reduction in race and gender bias according to IAT scores. This highlights the potential of AI-enhanced XR to improve police decision-making and mitigate bias in high-stakes encounters.

Keywords

artificial intelligence AR/VR/MR education and learning extended reality machine learning user-centered design

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