Humanizing the Experience in the Era of Automation

摘要

We are living in an age of automation, where computational intelligence guided by algorithms in apps and sensors is woven into our daily lives. What does this mean for the human aspect of experiencing such literally artificial intelligence? The challenge before us is the act of humanisation itself—shaping tech interactions with humanistic qualities, like emotion, conversation, and relationship, that impart values for humane living, like trust, respect, and dignity. Doing that well requires uncovering mental models, identifying emotional drivers, and unpacking our expectations of how a smart device or predictive service should behave—and how to interact with it to achieve our goals gracefully... and safely! (Cue HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey refusing to obey human commands.) And we must study how such expectations evolve as new forms of computational intelligence spread and become, for lack of a better phrase, invisibly powerful—thanks to overnight updates! Suddenly your electric car can drive off by itself at 8 a.m., which can be a bit jarring to discover. Astonishment can turn to distrust and fear in a heartbeat.