Light and dust fill a virtual museum hall, seen through the headset.

ViacomCBS: bias training people took remotely

When headsets could not be shared, ViacomCBS staff met the scenarios in a browser, then talked them through together.

The brief

Understand other people’s experience, and be an ally

Inspired by Black Lives Matter, ViacomCBS wanted staff to understand experiences different from their own and to see how to act as an ally. COVID ruled out rooms and shared headsets, so it had to work remotely (Equal Reality, a subsidiary of People Tech Revolution).

A woman stands on an empty open-plan office floor, a band of sound curving around her as she speaks. — A woman speaks on an open-plan floor.

A colleague seated across a meeting table, for practising feedback. A first person AI roleplay scenario for applied AI in sensitive conversations, seen through the headset. — A colleague across a meeting table.

A man stands on an empty open-plan office floor beside a stack of glowing message panels. — A man stands beside message panels.

A woman stands in a bright atrium with a conversation panel in front of her, seen through the headset. — A woman faces a conversation panel.

Built with the people it was for

Equal Reality co-designed Unpacking Bias with ViacomCBS employees, drawing on their own lived experience so the situations and the responses rang true.

Staff took part through web-based VR simulations blended with facilitator-led Zoom workshops, launched as part of the company’s Inclusion Week.

A visitor beside an empty chair in a consultation room, for practising a first meeting. A first person AI roleplay scenario for applied AI in sensitive conversations, seen through the headset. — A visitor beside an empty chair.

A wheelchair user chairs a three-person meeting. A VR training scenario for aged care and disability services. — A wheelchair user chairs a meeting.

A supervisor talks with a student and visitor. A VR training scenario for education. — A supervisor talks with a student.

What changed

Hundreds took part, and rated it highly

400+ users took part, and the program earned an overall Net Promoter Score of +54 (Equal Reality case study).

A colleague across the table, arms folded. A first person AI roleplay scenario for applied AI in sensitive conversations. — A colleague across the table, arms folded.

In participants’ words

“To really be in someone else's shoes. The conversation afterwards - hearing other peoples thoughts and reaction.”

Another liked the ability to try different options. The comments point the same way: the scenario opened the door, and the conversation afterwards is what they valued.

Two practice partners stand at separate workshop stations. A first person VR training scenario for immersive training and roleplay, seen through the headset. — Two partners at separate stations.

What this tells you

Our reading: a headset is not the only way in. When people cannot share equipment, a browser simulation followed by a facilitated video call still gives them something real to talk about.

Design the discussion as carefully as the scenario, and choose options people can replay, because trying a different response is what they valued.

A director waits in a plain meeting room. A first person VR training scenario for government and public sector, seen through the headset. — A director waits in a meeting room.

Two colleagues test a connected task. An AI roleplay scenario for digital twins. — Two colleagues test a connected task.

A participant follows a lit pathway. A first person rapid prototyping scenario for event experiences and activations, seen through the headset. — A participant follows a lit pathway.

For your organisation

Equal Reality titles, in PTR’s library

The PTR VR Library includes Equal Reality titles on race, gender and allyship, tested and reviewed independently in the Journal of New Approaches in Educational Research.

Training a team that works remotely?

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