A MACHINE INTERPRETATION
By PROMILA ROYCHOUDHURY (IN) 2016
When we imagine the future, we imagine a world where technological innovation in general — and artificial intelligence, in particular — is part of our world. We experience, enjoy, see and get a sense of meaning and our surroundings with the help of these technologies. Through this project, Promila wanted to elaborate on how machines and algorithms might look at our lives, and our ways of working. The piece shows how algorithmic logic might decipher and extrapolate a basic and common yet complex intimate moment like greeting someone, or apologising to someone.
Greeting or apologising to a person has contextual, cultural, relational and metaphorical values. It is common for us to first try to understand the situation and then figure out how to greet or apologise in a particular moment.
Imagine the following scenario: two individuals meet each other after a long time. They were old friends, but lost touch. They have uncountable stories and shared moments, and when they meet, it might lead to a whole-hearted hug. Now imagine the same scenario, but with a twist: some sort of misunderstanding forced the pair to not stay in touch. This small twist will completely change the way these two individuals will greet each other. There are complex emotions associated with these moments. However, when we try to decipher this simple interaction in a machine’s language, it might look like set of logic and rules; parameters considered and designed to guide how a machine might behave best in such intimate moments. The piece tries to showcase these sets of rules and the logic of machines' interpretations.
BIO
Promila is a critical designer based in Helsinki. She specialises in speculating the implications of design and technologies in our society. She studied design interactions at the Royal College of Art and graduated in 2014.
Promila currently works as a service and interaction designer at Finnish design firm Adventure Club. Her work revolves around critically assessing how technology and data might evolve and affect social need and interactions among people. Her works has been showcased in conferences and exhibitions like Siggraph Asia, Watermans London, the Hand Gallery and the Henry Moore Gallery, London.