User:Wordfa/PMOMMs
#1 - Where do you draw the Line
What is it?
A installation/zine/exercise/workshop exploring what parts of out life we want AI/Technology to mediate.
Why make it?
Interesting to give people to reflect on the ways technology is already involved in our lives. ( I also want to empower people to say no)
Workflow
Create an exhaustive list of things that ai could automate e.g. 'control the traffic lights', 'write a Birthday card to your coworker ', 'choose what you have for dinner'. Like 100.
Write a script that printers stickers with these on.
Get a big wall and draw a line in the middle, give people stickers to stick above or below the line depending on if they want AI to do it
Timetable
Got a first draft, but about a month to work out a physical version
Rapid prototypes (scratches)*
Draft I wrote for an unpublished zine
Where do you draw your line
In his 1976 seminal book, Computer Power and Human Reason, Joseph Weizenbaum postulates that the relevant issues around computing 'are neither technological nor even mathematical; they are ethical.' He goes on to say, 'They cannot be settled by asking questions beginning with "can." The limits of the applicability of computers are ultimately statable only in terms of oughts.'
In 2024 where we are told by Silicon Valley, Journalists and Politicians that AI can, and will, do everything, it is more relevant than ever to head Weizenbaum's advice. As much as we are able, we should choose where to limit AI's integration into our lives. In this spirit I propose an exercise for the reader.
Step 1. Grab a fresh sheet of paper and draw a line that divides the page vertically
Step 2. Copy each item of the following list (or its number) onto the page; Either above the line if you think this task[^1] ought to be done by AI [^2] or below the line if it shouldn't.
<div class="two-columns">1. control your local water treatment plant
2. choose targets to drone strike
3. control the traffic lights
4. write your job applications
5. choose which candidate to hire
6. deicide your salary
7. write a Birthday card to your coworker
8. write a Thank You letter to your grandmother
9. track and manage your day to day health
10. diagnose that weird mole on your back
11. summarise a book you want to read
12. give you therapy for your crippling depression
13. curate the music you listen to
14. ghost-write for your favourite artist
15. swerve to avoid a child, to instead hit an old man
16. choose what you have for dinner
17. take your order at your favourite restaurant
18. find you a date
19. curate your dating profile
20. give your orgasms
21. give your relationship advice
22. write your best man speech
23. break up with someone you dated for 1 month
24. break up with someone you dated for 2 years
25. referee your favourite sport
26. keep in touch with your friends
27. teach your philosophy of technology class
28. teach you how to fix your leaky washing machine
29. teach your child to cycle
30. summarise a 4pm email from your boss
31. summarise your family group chat
32. vote for you in your local election
33. choose who gets a visa
34. write your master’s thesis
35. grade your final exam
36. manage your finances
37. be your bank's customer support
38. plan your next family holiday
39. drive your Uber
40. write your diary
41. remember the conversation you had a house party
42. be your nurse in hospital
43. write the daily news
44. create videos for your children to watch
45. choose if you should be stopped and searched
46. decide when you can get parole
47. pacify your child on a long plane journey
48. write your grant application
49. choose who to give grants to
50. write your protest banners
51. be your romantic partner
52. be your friend
53. design new protein structures
54. design new more efficient transport
55. code your new portfolio website
56. make your holiday snaps more picturesque
57. spell and grammer check this article
58. translate the language of your partner
59. write a legal letter to dispute your parking ticket
60. write a booker prize winning book
</div>
Optional Step 4: Redo the exercise with a different colour pen but from the perspective of you 10 years ago
Optional Step 5: Redo the exercise again but from the perspective of you in 10 years
[^1]: If a task is not currently relevant to your life, answer as if it is.
[^2]: In this thought experiment, AI can be thought to be able to complete tasks at an 'equal' or 'better' level than humans, as defined by productive, frictionless and utilitarian capitalist ideals.
Sketch for how it might work at an exhibition
Previous practice
I often do work that explores or critiques AI/Technology.
I often make interactive work that explores what a survey/participation can be
Relation to a wider context (personal reader?)
How does technology mediate human relationships
Ideas of technomorphism
Weizenbaum, Franklin, Bookchin
Choice made
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#2 - Luddites Anon
What is it?
A workshop/website that invites people to critically reflect on the comprisies of technology.
Kinda flow is, I use X, to do Y, Even though I know it does Z. Then remixes these to find new meanings
I use tinder, To satisfy my base urges, Even Though i know it commodifies love
I use tinder, To feel less alone, Even Though i know it commodifies love
I use tinder, To feel less alone, Even Though I know it makes me feel more alone
Why make it?
Interesting to give people to reflect on the ways technology is already involved in our lives. ( I also want to empower people to say no)
Workflow
Workout how to make it into a workshop format as a way to gather many ideas.
Make a website uses these workshop outputs as a starting point
Timetable
Got some sketches and a couple of doubts
Rapid prototypes (scratches)*
Previous practice
I often do work that explores or critiques AI/Technology.
I often make interactive work that explores what a survey/participation can be
Relation to a wider context (personal reader?)
How does technology mediate human relationships
Ideas of technomorphism
Weizenbaum, Franklin, Bookchin
Choice made
---
AI Fixed my Relationship
What is it?
A text generator trained on Reddit posts about people using AI to fix their relationship
Why make it?
I want to explore the way AI/LLMs are impacting relationships, how are we trying to make realtionships more effiecnt/seemless
Workflow?
Build Scraper, Build Generator, Make Zinepublish webiste
Timetable?
done.
Rapid prototypes (scratches)
https://github.com/FWORDIE/reddit-markov-chain
Previous practice
Various Text generation alogithms
Relation to a wider context (personal reader?
How does technology mediate human relationships
Weizenbaum, jacques Ellul, Franklin
Thoughts
Kinda Poking fun, not very constructive
---
The worst LLM ever
What is it?
Use the markov chain and scraper from 'AI Fixed my Relationship' to make a website that answers questions
Why make it?
Shows the process of LLMs in a very concreate way, where the content is comng form, how. amodel can be made, how its dumb
Workflow?
Refine my tool to also scrape comments
Build a simple front end
Timetable?
1 week
Rapid prototypes (scratches)
'AI Fixed my Relationship' is kinda a tech demo https://github.com/FWORDIE/reddit-markov-chain
Previous practice
AI Fixed my Relationship
chatbots for Dearai.xyz
Relation to a wider context (personal reader?
The infrastructure of Tech
Need some fun in my life
Permacomputing?
Thoughts
Will it gnerate anything novel or be more then the sum of its parts?
---
Elimination Tech Diet
What is it?
Ever week I am forced to remove one thing from my tech diet e.g. social media, camera, streaming music. I then make a report about my expericne
Why make it?
We are so immersed in a tech society it is hard to imagine alternative both benefits and harms. I think the term may be auto-ethnography
Workflow?
Spin the wheel
Give up thing for a time period
Write report
Repeat
Timetable?
would take like 3 months for intersting results
could start tommorrow but i dont wanna
Rapid prototypes (scratches)
See Pic ->
Previous practice
A project i did a few years ago where i experinced 24 hour surivlence and ML tagging
https://amansittingonacouchlookingatsomething.mildlyupset.com/
Relation to a wider context (personal reader?
What are the social mortages of tech and how can we reflect more cleary on the impacts of tech
Weizenbaum, jacques Ellul, Franklin
Thoughts
Im scared to do it becuase what if i have to give up falling asleep to machining youtube. I feel my fear is also a project
---
De-compile an Iphone or the everything device
What is it?
map out all the apps people use on iphones and trace their ancestors in a big map
e.g. google maps -> TOM-TOM -> maps ->. compass ->. stars -> asking for directions
or google maps -> timetable -> asking for bus times
once this map is done i would print it really big and ask people to draw big circles on the tech they are happy with, like where would they cut off technological development
Why make it?
We are so immersed in a tech society it is hard to imagine alternatives or what life was like before. Might get people thinking about the routes of tech, and question their use?
Everything turns towards tactility, human scale and interacting with people
Workflow?
Map the map
print it big
hold a workshop?
Timetable?
1 week to make map
1 week to make it pretty
next public moment?
Rapid prototypes (scratches)
see pic ->
Previous practice
A project i did a few years ago where i experinced 24 hour surivlence and ML tagging
https://amansittingonacouchlookingatsomething.mildlyupset.com/
Relation to a wider context (personal reader?
What are the social mortages of tech and how can we reflect more cleary on the impacts of tech or envision a new world without
Weizenbaum, jacques Ellul, Franklin, kirkpatrick sale
Thoughts
Seems v cool, i think there is a missing thing, liek what are people circlng
could just be a good exercise on learning about routes of tech
pen plot much? graphviz?
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Elimination Tech Diet
What is it?
Ever week I am forced to remove one thing from my tech diet e.g. social media, camera, streaming music. I then make a report about my expericne
Why make it?
We are so immersed in a tech society it is hard to imagine alternative both benefits and harms. I think the term may be auto-ethnography
Workflow?
Spin the wheel
Give up thing for a time period
Write report
Repeat
Timetable?
would take like 3 months for intersting results
could start tommorrow but i dont wanna
Rapid prototypes (scratches)
Previous practice
A project i did a few years ago where i experinced 24 hour surivlence and ML tagging
https://amansittingonacouchlookingatsomething.mildlyupset.com/
Relation to a wider context (personal reader?
What are the social mortages of tech and how can we reflect more cleary on the impacts of tech
Weizenbaum, jacques Ellul, Franklin
Thoughts
Im scared to do it becuase what if i have to give up falling asleep to machining youtube. I feel my fear is also a project