Reflect on the programme core course and its relevance to the development of your project idea(s).
I’d like to preface that I am at an exploratory stage in developing a project idea, and I’m uncertain at the moment as to which direction the project is going to take. From last weeks blog post, I realised that I am interested in the accessibility of AI to people, and including all kinds of people in decisions regarding AI. AI technologies have the ability to radically change society, but while the benefits will be felt by the more wealthy sectors of society, the groups typically underserved by technologies will bear the brunt of exclusion.
Last week, I attended the intensives for one of my programme core courses, namely Data and AI Ethics, Law and Governance. I was really fascinated by the affordances and limitations of law, and how leaked draft versions of the new EU AI Act often had more pointed restrictions than the final outcomes. It was also difficult to understand legal language, or what exactly provisions of the drafts were attempting to address. It made me realise how often the knowledge regarding data and AI security is limited to academics or professionals, and I found myself wishing there was a more accessible way to understand these rights. Although awareness doesn’t guarantee change, it certainly could create the critical mass to become a point of contention. I found myself wishing that I was more aware of these rights and the risks of using technologies from a younger age, given that my digital literacy education was limited to “don’t post anything online you wouldn’t want your parents, the police or your principal to see”. Since that class, I have been working on an essay regarding the GDPR and AI Act, and thinking about how this legislation could become more accessible. I also recently learnt that there is a provision in the GDPR regarding collecting data on children, given that they have to be protected against threats they may not be aware of.
In the same vein, Narratives of Digital Capitalism has shown me how important it is to make social commentary or interventions understandable and tangible. Often, the work we do online feels intangible, which I believe makes us more complacent in ‘turning a blind eye’ to digital harms. By having a physical object which broaches social interventions, it brings the problem into our world in a way we can remember.
With this in mind, I’m considering the possibility of creating a board game or card game which makes accessing the GDPR and AI Act easier and more fun. Not only would this teach children and young people their digital rights, but older generations who are less tech-savvy will also have an opportunity to understand technology in a way which moves from using the very medium which can feel complicated to them. Interdisciplinary Futures has reminded me that there are multiple perspectives to take in explaining the act, namely environmental or cultural approaches, but also that my peers from Education Futures will have experience in teaching complicated concepts in a simple way. Similarly to the ‘elephant house’ reading, I would be interested to hear how different disciplines would approach simplifying complex legal concepts, and which methods of bringing across information they have found most effective.
I am not certain of what I want my approach to the project to be yet, but I know I’m interested in making AI more accessible to people who are normally excluded from the digital conversation. While looking to the future, I want to make sure nobody gets left behind!
