Forget the Singularity, its mundane artificial intelligence that should be our immediate concern

Fuelled by Science Fiction and the pronouncements of Silicon Valley gurus such as Elon Musk, the ‘Singularity’ is arguably the biggest geek myth of our time and is distracting us from addressing the numerous problems emerging with the increasing use of Artificial intelligence (AI). Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) is often perceived to mean super human like intelligence such as the ones depicted in movies like Her (2013) and Ex Machina (2014). These anthropomorphic representations of AI besiege our attention away from the very real threat of biases introduced through Machine Learning (ML). In this paper we will consider whether current practices within Human-Centred Design (HCD) permit designers to consider interactions and services in which non-human algorithms play a significant role and consider how approaches inspired by Object Oriented Ontology (OOO) may offer newperspectives for framing design activities concerning AI

Carpentered Diegetic Things: Alternative Design Ideologies for AI Material Relations

This paper considers a More-than Human-Centered design approach that presents Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data as materials for design by utilizing the non-anthropocentric philosophy of Object-Oriented Ontology (OOO) and the related thesis of Alien Phenomenology. This paper also explores methods of making AI operations, functions and impacts legible through the speculative design practice of Design Fiction by adopting a perspective that acknowledges the independent perspectives and interdependent relationships of human and non-human actants. The structure of this paper is as follows; first, we will give a brief account and understanding of AI technology, with reference to our philosophical guinea pig - Amazon’s AI assistant Alexa and Skills service. Second, we will unpack the theory of OOO detailing the related theories to develop an alternative perspective of AI technology. Further, it will posit how adopting a More-Than Human-Centered design approach can assist in negotiating the complexities of AI and move towards possible implementation solutions. Third, and finally, we demonstrate this alternative approach by utilizing the philosophical theories of OOO, and a Design Fiction as World Building approach to philosophically carpenter a Diegetic Thing - Amazon’s AI assistant Alexa which speculatively transcends Alexa’s current skills into functions of legible AI

What’s it like to be Alexa?:An exploration of Artificial Intelligence as a Material for Design

Technology is a material, though we don’t often perceive it as something we can easily manipulate with sensuous knowledge. In particular, we don’t consider digital algorithms within Artificial-Intelligence (AI) as a material we can design with as we generally lack the intimate knowledge a carpenter has of the grain of wood and the chisel in hand. Despite this lack of understanding, designers are contributing to the rapid implementation of AI in diverse areas, having a profound effect on the lives of millions. If designers lack a material knowledge of AI, how are they to adequately consider the desirability of its use? How do we pierce the veil of something that is perceived as intangible, where the interplay between materials and forces are obscured? In this paper, we present a design approach that utilises philosophical lenses to help designers adopt a material perspective of AI aiming towards a more considered use

AI as a Material for Design

From Netflix recommendations to Amazon Echos sitting proudly on kitchen countertops, artificial intelligence (AI) has been inserted into the mundane settings of our everyday lives. These ‘smart’ devices and services have given rise to the collection of data and processing within everyday objects, accumulating new challenges, particularly in legibility, agency, and negotiability of interactions. The emerging field of Human Data Interaction (HDI) recognises that these challenges go on to influence security, privacy, and accessibility protocols, while also encompassing socio-technical implications. Furthermore, these objects challenge designers’ traditional conventions of neutral interactions, which only work as instructed. However, these smart objects go beyond typical human-object relationships functioning in new and unexpected ways, creeping in function, and existing within independent and interdependent assemblages of human and non-human actants—demanding alternative considerations and design practice. This thesis aims to question the traditional practice of considering and designing for AI technology by arguing for a post-anthropocentric perspective of things with agency, by adopting the philosophical approach of Object Orientated Ontology with design research. This research ultimately presents and builds (a currently) unorthodox design approach of Human-AI Kinship that contests the design orthodoxies of human-centred design. Conclusively, this research seeks to bring into being AI as a material for design and justify through the case study of AI legibility. A More than Human Centered Design approach is established through a transdisciplinary and iterative Research through Design methodology, resulting in the design of AI iconography that attempts to communicate and signify AI’s ontology to human users. This thesis is concluded by testing the legibility of the icons themselves and discussing philosophy as an asset for design research

SUSTAINABLE X SECURE EDGE:Design Guidelines for Future Data-Driven Edge-IoT Devices and Services

Alexa enquiries, Spotify listens, Netflix binges. Our everyday interactions with smart devices, digital services and the internet are generating huge amounts of data. How this data is created, processed and stored is increasingly affecting the planet’s natural environment as well as leading to cyber-security issues. Generating huge amounts of data generates huge amounts of carbon emissions (CO2). These emissions are harmful as they increase the Earth’s temperature and contribute to climate change. But we are not yet thinking about data impacts in this way. We must therefore design and adopt new, shared visions of more sustainable and secure data-driven practices and processes. Only then can we start to collectively work towards a sustainable and secure data-driven future. Through our research, we found that the sustainability and cyber-security of Edge-IoT data are issues which are deeply intertwined. Accordingly, we have generated the following series of 8 design guidelines for improving IoT data sustainability and cyber-security at the Edge. They were developed in collaboration with our project partners BBC R&D who are actively developing their own Edge-IoT technologies for public broadcasting

The process of gaining an AI Legibility mark

Researchers and designers working in industrial sectors seeking to incorporate Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology, will be aware of the emerging International Organisation for AI Legibility (IOAIL). IOAIL was established to overcome the eruption of obscure AI technology. One of the primary goals of IOAIL is the development of a proficient certification body providing knowledge to users regarding the AI technology they are being exposed to. To this end IOAIL produced a system of standardised icons for attaching to products and systems to indicate both the presence of AI and to increase the legibility of that AI’s attributes. Whilst the process of certification is voluntary it is becoming a mark of trust, enhancing the usability and acceptability of AI-infused products through improved legibility. In this paper we present our experience of seeking certification for a locally implemented AI security system, highlighting the issues generated for those seeking to adopt such certification

Design (Non) Fiction:Deconstructing/Reconstructing the Definitional Dualism of AI

2001: A Space Odyssey (Kubrick, 1968) speculates on humanities technological ascension through the exploration of space and the ultimate transcendence of humanity galvanised by the invention of AI. Every detail of this portrayal was an exercise in World Building, with careful considerations of then state-of-the-art technology and informed predictions. Kubrick’s speculative vision is comparative to the practice of Design Fiction, by suspending disbelief and leveraging a technologies emergence to question the future’s sociotechnical landscape and its ramifications critically. Discovery’s AI system, Hal9000, is a convincing speculation of intelligence with Kubrick’s vision showcasing current and long-term aims in AI research. To this end, Hal9000 uniquely portrays Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) underpinned by visualising ‘narrow’ AI subproblems; thereby, simultaneously highlighting then current research agendas within AI and manifesting them into the aspirational research agenda of human-computer symbiosis. As a result of Kubrick’s mastery in suspending a viewer’s disbelief despite portraying a particular reality for AI, and humanities fascination with artificial life, the term AI simultaneously refers to the grand vision of AGI as well as relating to the contemporary reality of narrow AI. This confusion, along with establishing AI’s ontology, are current challenges that need addressing to create effective and acceptable realisations of AI. This paper responds to the ontological confusion by reviewing and comparing Kubrick’s speculative methodology to the practice of Design Fiction by unpacking Hal9000 as a diegetic prototype while defining the active threads of ‘AI’s Definitional Dualism’. The paper will also present a Design Fiction submerged in the reality of narrow AI and the adoption of a More-Than Human Centred Design approach to address the complexity of AI’s ontology in alternative ways. Finally, this paper will also define the importance of researching the semantics of AI technology and how film and Design Fiction offer a discursive space for design research to transpire

Using Game Engines to Design Digital Workshops for AI Legibility

Like many researchers responding to the pandemic, we have had to adapt design practices traditionally done face-to-face to online experiences. While online services provide adequate support for communication and sharing, they do not readily support the physical tools designed for workshop activities. This paper presents our experience of turning a face-to-face workshop into a digital experience that sustained the primary research goals relating to AI legibility and took advantage of the online world, rather than merely adapting to it, by utilising the game engine Godot. This paper explores the theoretical scaffolding that led to the creation of the workshops, which explore AI legibility through iconography and the transition of the workshop experience from face-to-face to online. The workshop’s conception followed the original approach of Research through Design and allowed participants to fully engage with our research during the pandemic

Making AI Infused Products and Services more Legible

The increasing availability of large data sets has initiated a resurgence in Artificial Intelligence (AI) research. Today AI is integrated into a wide variety of so-called smart products to personalize user experiences. Smart Technologies are typically designed for ease of use, with their complex underlying procedures (intentionally) obfuscated, while explaining particular outcomes is hampered by their inherent ambiguity. This lack of legibility leads to misconceptions about how AI works. Through design research, the authors address the challenge of AI legibility by designing AI iconography as an accessible way to communicate and better understand the role AI and data increasingly play in our everyday interactions

Signs of the Time:Making AI Legible

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming widespread. There are many benefits associated with AI, but it’s adoption brings challenges relating to fairness, bias, and transparency. Such issues are particularly hard to address because conventions that highlight when an AI is present, how it works, and the consequences of using are not yet established: AI has a legibility problem. Design-led research can play a key role in exploring this challenge. Applying Research through Design (RtD) this paper explores AI legibility in three ways: (1) explaining why it makes sense to address AI legibility with design; (2) the presentation of prototypical icons designed to enhance AI legibility; (3) experimenting with how the icons may be used in the context of signage relating to potential applications of AI. Via these three lenses the paper argues that design’s role in improving AI legibility is critical