Project 3
Project #3: AI as “Liberatory Technology”
“Configuring organizations, whether business corporations, governmental organizations, voluntary societies or others, is one of society’s most important design tasks.”
--Herbert A. Simon, The Sciences of the Artificial, 154.
“Everyone designs who devises course of action aimed at changing existing situations into preferred ones.”
--Herbert A. Simon, The Sciences of the Artificial, 110.
Overview
Over the course of the semester, we’ve investigated the history of AI (the moves from data storage to decision-making to machine-learning), recurring issues within the development of AI (the “singularity,” the Turing test, and the importance of interdisciplinary inquiry), and the ways in which our AI technologies can reflect a culture’s values and motivations (racist and sexist algorithms, the future of work/labor, the concentration of power in the hands of a few tech giants). It’s of little wonder, then, so many express concern and/or outright contempt for such technologies and developments.
At the same time, we’ve honed our skills of inquiry, communication, and discovery. In other words, we’ve been using writing as a means for asking-questions and making-use of resources, thinking about the demands of genre and audience, and putting all of this to use by creating nuanced and well-supported pieces of writing. In fact, you should take note of the increasing complexity of each project: the questions have grown in difficulty, and the potential ways of answering the questions have grown more numerous and complex.
Now, we’ll put all these things together to address the question that the anarchist and political philosopher Murray Bookchin asked in 1965:
What is the liberatory potential of modern technology, both materially and spiritually? What tendencies, if any, are reshaping the machine for use in an organic, human-oriented society? And finally, how can the new technology and resources be used in an ecological manner—that is, to promote the balance of nature, the full development of natural regions, and the creation of organic, humanistic communities? (7)
To put it differently, can AI be used to make humanity better? If so, how can AI be used to “liberate” humanity from the problems we face today, as well as the problems we’ll face tomorrow?
Audience
Imagine that you’ve been asked to edit a special issue of IEEE Intelligent Systems , which entails writing a short piece about whether or not AI can be used a “liberatory technology” (I’ve provided an example to help you imagine this). You can learn about the audience of IEEE Intelligent Systems by visiting their “About” page.
Purpose
The goal here is to provide your well-supported argument about the “liberatory” potential of AI in order to change the thoughts and actions of the audience. In other words, you want to persuade your audience to see this issue the way you do.
Invention
As you begin to write, you might consider the following questions:
· Is there one area where you think AI holds great potential?
· What is your hope for AI-human relationships?
· What kind of world do you want to live in and how does AI help that world to exist?
· What could you, your field/discipline, and/or policy-makers do to put AI to good use in future?
· What knowledge do we need to design “ethical robots?”
· How can make democratic and informed decisions about AI?
· What do you wish people knew about AI?
· What would an “ethical science of the artificial” look like?
· What resources do you have or can find to invent and support your thesis and claims?
Arrangement
As I hope you’ve come to realize, summary and analysis plays an important part in rhetorical invention, and influences how we structure our essays (in a piece of writing, we have to summarize/describe the phenomena we are investigating before we set-out to prove any claims about that phenomena). So, what is the phenomena you’re investigating in this project: the use of AI in our lives.
Delivery
Your typed essay should be:
· a 1200-1500 guest column in IEEE Intelligent Systems.
Final Note
Your essay will be accompanied by a cover letter that explains and justifies your decisions, as well as makes the case for how well your writing meets the “Success Criteria” we developed.
You’ve done a great job this semester!
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