and while funny, the outcomes veer between usefulness and sheer unhelpfulness and apparent stupidity (Figure 5.15). It is difficult to imagine such an assistant managing the complexity and dynamics of a home.
Figure 5.15: Siri, as an example of how the interactions between users and their virtual assistants can be very entertaining; and while funny, the outcomes veer between usefulness and sheer unhelpfulness and apparent stupidity (real dialogues). Source: Quertime.com
My interest, then, is in questioning the possibilities that occur when the so-called
intelligence embedded when domestic IoT objects come into our complex and
inconsistent lives to continuously sensing and analysing our behaviour. In this project I therefore explored what might happen if, instead of a passive interaction (the IoT device waiting for you to respond, or like Jawbone (see Section 2.4) , simply giving an abstract statement of encouragement), IoT devices started attempting to communicate intelligently with their users and other appliances in a two-way fashion.
My interests diverge from the AI concern with language, syntax and semantics. Rather, in this project I employ a second-order cybernetics approach to question how IoT devices could (ever) embrace human complexity and subjectivity in interactions with its users.
Focusing on the active role of IoT devices, I decided to generate conversations between users and a ‘SMART’ fridge through a messaging program on a
smartphone. For this I developed two kinds of dialogue, which formed the basis of two sub-projects I carried out as part of the SMART’ Fridge Session. The first,
‘scripted dialogues’ was based on user’s reflections. The second, ‘assigned roles’
tested the idea of non-neutral aspects of algorithms by assigning roles to participants: one to play the role the AI in a ‘SMART’ fridge), and the other to play the role of the user (Figure 5.16).
Figure 5.16: Projects in the ‘SMART’ Fridge Session. The ‘scripted dialogues’ Assigned roles
Participant Participant with a role
Scripted dialogues
User ‘SMART’ Fridge
171
As with Becoming Your ‘SMART’ Fridge, while still ‘simulating’ human
interaction with software, the approach was similar, bur not identical to, techniques such as Wizard of Oz (see section 5.1.2) — in the assigned roles even more so, since two participants were interacting with each other (one acting as a ‘SMART’ fridge) rather than with the researcher. Here it was possible to see how users adapt to the language of their interlocutors in order to depict the particular characteristics of human-machine interaction, in my case the ‘smart’ fridge.
5.2.2 Project Description
Setting
The SMART Fridge session was part of Off The Wall, an exhibition September 19-20, 2015, staged aboard HQS Wellington a 1933 former military ship moored on the Thames River (Figure 5.17).
Figure 5.17: HQS Wellington on the Thames at Victoria Embankment.
The exhibition consisted of paintings, sculpture, photography, video works, performances, drawing and installations from London colleges including the Royal College of Art, Slade School of Fine Art, Goldsmiths, Camberwell College of Art and Chelsea College of Art. Attendees ranged from toddlers to people in their 70s, many of whom had simply come to the exhibition because they happened to be walking by.
173
‘
Figure 5.19: ‘SMART’ Fridge Session flyer.
Sample
16 visitors took part in the ‘SMART’ fridge session, comprising people I had specifically invited by personal email invitations (including those taking assigned roles), and visitors to the exhibition. These comprised 6 women and 10 men, with an age range of approximately 24–40. All of them were familiar enough with technology to be able to use the provided smartphone to send and receive messages (Figure 5.20).
Figure 5.20: Photos from the ‘SMART’ Fridge Session at the HQS Wellington. London: 18-20 September 2015.
175
Setting
The ‘SMART’ Fridge Session setup was composed of two chairs, in which each of the participants sat during the interaction. There were two roles: a ‘SMART’ fridge and a user. As a symbolic detail, each chair was placed in front of a ship’s
wheel, to metaphorically imply the idea of ‘steering’ the dialogue. Furthermore, the Greek root of the word 'cybernetics' κυβερνήτης (kybernētēs) means
‘steersman, governor, pilot, or rudder’ (Figure 5.21).
Figure 5.21: The ship’s wheel ‘steering the dialogue’.
In order for the user to feel embedded in the ‘SMART’ world, the interaction was conducted through iPhones for each of the participants with assigned roles (Figure 5.22 and Figure 5.23). Dialogues were projected onto an adjacent wall, and there were additionally several rows of chairs for other visitors to observe (Figure 5.24).
Figure 5.22: A participant chatting during the interaction.
177
5.2.3 Scripted Dialogues
The scripted dialogues in the ‘SMART’ Fridge Session involved a participant playing a user, conversing with a scripted ‘SMART’ fridge. Informed by my interest in the second-order cybernetics epistemology (Chapter 3), I decided to incorporate some second-order concepts into the design on the ‘SMART’ Fridge script. In Table 5.4 are the relevant concepts I deemed important when considering interactions with ‘smart’ devices.
Observing systems
The inclusion of the observer (observes, explains) The observers are not neutral and detached
Circularity Each of us produces our own meaning and
understanding (re-interpretation).
Self-reference Autonomy, identity
Conversation Meaning is constructed by individuals involved in an act of communication 1
Not problem- solving
Ways of framing an issue Systemic
approach
Systemic model of the user
Table 5.4: Characteristic concepts of second-order cybernetics
The Figure of the IdIoT
I was interested in exploring the possibility of a shift in perspective from the current Algorithmic Paradigm (described in Chapter 2) in the context of the ‘smart’ home, towards a situation in which the user is considered an experiential, nonlinear subject, rather than a probabilistic and linear. The figure of ‘the IdIoT’ (Chapter 4) emerged after my experience of quantifying myself (Section 2.4), together with my observation of ongoing technological trends.