Exploring the Reciprocal Influence of Artificial Intelligence and End-User Development

This paper explores the reciprocal influence between Artificial Intelligence (AI) features of modern systems and End-User Development (EUD) activities aimed at adapting systems’ behavior to users’ needs and preferences. To improve the quality of life of people who are called on to use AI-infused systems and customize them, new methods and techniques for EUD should be studied. EUD could be of help in exploiting AI algorithms to collect information about users and to offer them advanced interaction modalities. The paper explores these possibilities through the analysis of two application domains where the effective combination of AI and EUD might play a crucial role in the future

Delivering elder-care environments utilizing TV-channel based mechanisms

In this paper, we present a smart environment for elderly. What makes the development of such system challenging is that the concept of smartness for elderly brings to the extreme the idea of invisibility of the technology. In our experience, elders are well-disposed to new technologies, provided that those will not require significant changes - namely, they are invisible - to their habits. Starting from this consideration, 200 caregivers responses were collected by questionnaire, so as to better understand elders' needs and habits. A system was subsequently developed allowing elders to access a number of "modern web services" as standard TV channels: at channel 43 there is the health status, at channel 45 the photos of the family, at 46 the agenda of the week, just to mention few of the available services. The content of such services is automatically generated by the smart devices in the environment and is managed by the caregivers (e.g., family members) by simple web apps. Fourteen families were asked to install the system in their house. The results of these experiments confirm that the proposed system is considered effective and user-friendly by elders

Potential climate benefits of digital consumer innovations

Digitalization has opened up a wealth of new goods and services with strong consumer appeal alongside potential emission-reduction benefits. Examples range from shared, on-demand electric mobility and peer-to-peer trading of electricity, food, and cars to grid-responsive smart appliances and heating systems. In this review, we identify an illustrative sample of 33 digital consumer innovations that challenge emission-intensive mainstream consumption practices in mobility, food, homes, and energy domains. Across these domains, digital innovations offer consumers a range of potentially appealing attributes from control, choice, and convenience to independence, interconnectedness, and integration with systems. We then compile quantitative estimates of change in activity, energy, or emissions as a result of consumers adopting digital innovations. This novel synthesis of the evidence base shows clear but variable potential emission-reduction benefits of digital consumer innovations. However, a small number of studies show emission increases from specific innovations as a result of induced demand or substitution effects that need careful management by public policy. We also consider how concurrent adoption of digital consumer innovations across mobility, food, homes, and energy domains can cause broader disruptive impacts on regulatory frameworks, norms, and infrastructures. We conclude by arguing for the importance of public policy in steering the digitalization of consumer goods and services toward low-carbon outcomes

Το βίωμα της θρησκευτικής εμπειρίας στον εικονικό κόσμο απουσία θρησκευτικών συμβόλων και ναοδομίας

Αντικείμενο της εργασίας είναι η παρατήρηση της θρησκευτικής εμπειρίας που προκαλείται μέσω του αισθήματος του δέους, σε ένα διαμορφωμένο εικονικό περιβάλλον απουσία συμβολικών στοιχείων και ναοδομίας. Το θέμα προσεγγίζεται μέσω της πειραματικής μελέτης και τα αποτελέσματα διεξάγονται από τη συλλογή δεδομένων είκοσι (20) πειραματικών υποκειμένων και αναλύονται με ποιοτική μέθοδο.The object of the research is to observe the religious experience through awe in a landscaped virtual environment in the absence of symbolic elements and temple-building. The object is approached through experimental study and the results are obtained from the data collection of twenty (20) experimental subjects and analysed by a qualitative method