Describes limitations and shortfalls of current digital technologies, particularly when compared to human capabilities.
Limitations of Digital Technologies (21)
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- 15 min
- Kinolab
- 2017
Detective Shazia Akhand is assigned to investigate the case of a man who was hit by a pizza truck in the street to help him build a case. She uses a brain-computer interface to read the memories of both the man hit by the truck and other witnesses, where the vague, abstract images are projected onto a screen. One of these witnesses includes Mia, a serial killer whose former crimes are revealed during her interview. In order to erase any footage or evidence of her murders, Mia continues her killing spree by wiping out Shazia and her family. However, Mia is eventually caught through the memories of an unlikely source.
- Kinolab
- 2017
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- 15 min
- Kinolab
- 2017
Digital Memory Projection and Walking Surveillance Cameras
Detective Shazia Akhand is assigned to investigate the case of a man who was hit by a pizza truck in the street to help him build a case. She uses a brain-computer interface to read the memories of both the man hit by the truck and other witnesses, where the vague, abstract images are projected onto a screen. One of these witnesses includes Mia, a serial killer whose former crimes are revealed during her interview. In order to erase any footage or evidence of her murders, Mia continues her killing spree by wiping out Shazia and her family. However, Mia is eventually caught through the memories of an unlikely source.
Discussion Prompts:
Should police or detectives be able to view memories for interrogation reasons? Where should the line be drawn in these cases? What are the issues with tasking precise digital technologies with extracting and showing abstract memories? How could this technology be manipulated to make subjective memories seem objective? How might this sort of technology makes witnesses to crimes more targeted? How is this concept similar and different to the idea that anyone could accidentally or intentionally be capturing anything on a phone camera? Should technology be created that essentially allows anyone to be a walking surveillance camera?
Black Mirror: Shazia Interviews the Crash Victim-
- 16 min
- Kinolab
- 2016
In a world in which social media is constantly visible, and in which the averaged five star rating for each person based on every single one of their interactions with others are displayed, Lacie tries to move into the higher echelons of society. She does this by consistently keeping up saccharine appearances in real life and on her social media feed because everyone is constantly connected to this technology. En route to an important wedding, she loses several points in her rating, yet still finds solace with a truck driver who offers her a ride. After releasing her true emotions at the wedding (from which she was ultimately disinvited for her low score), she is jailed and continues the release of her pent-up emotions. For further reading and real-life connections, see the narrative “Inside China’s Vast New Experiment in Social Ranking.”
- Kinolab
- 2016
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- 16 min
- Kinolab
- 2016
Lacie Part II: Everyday Influencers and “Keep Instagram Casual”
In a world in which social media is constantly visible, and in which the averaged five star rating for each person based on every single one of their interactions with others are displayed, Lacie tries to move into the higher echelons of society. She does this by consistently keeping up saccharine appearances in real life and on her social media feed because everyone is constantly connected to this technology. En route to an important wedding, she loses several points in her rating, yet still finds solace with a truck driver who offers her a ride. After releasing her true emotions at the wedding (from which she was ultimately disinvited for her low score), she is jailed and continues the release of her pent-up emotions. For further reading and real-life connections, see the narrative “Inside China’s Vast New Experiment in Social Ranking.”
Discussion Prompts:
Are shallow interactions and the improbability of someone saying what they truly mean on a platform inherent to the design of digital social networks? How does social media put pressure on people to change events or relationships in their real life to keep up positive appearances? Consider movements such as “Keep Instagram Casual,” which implores users to post whatever they like, whenever they like, rather than being beholden to strict societal rules on what is acceptable to post. Can this occur with a user-centric push, or does something about the design of the platforms need to change? Does “digital niceness” actually benefit anyone? How do figures such as influencers take advantage of digital platforms to set social norms online and offline?
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- 12 min
- Kinolab
- 2011
In the 2050s, humans are able to connect their brains to an implanted digital device known as a “grain,” which stores all of their individual audiovisual memories and allows for instant replays or closer analysis of any stored memories. Liam Foxwell, one such user, discusses these devices with some friends at dinner, and later uses the data collected at this party to scrutinize his wife’s interactions with Jonas, a crude man who uses the grain for contemptible purposes. With these memories, he confronts his wife and demands objective truth from her.
- Kinolab
- 2011
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- 12 min
- Kinolab
- 2011
Digital Memory, Stored Interactions, and the Inability to Forget
In the 2050s, humans are able to connect their brains to an implanted digital device known as a “grain,” which stores all of their individual audiovisual memories and allows for instant replays or closer analysis of any stored memories. Liam Foxwell, one such user, discusses these devices with some friends at dinner, and later uses the data collected at this party to scrutinize his wife’s interactions with Jonas, a crude man who uses the grain for contemptible purposes. With these memories, he confronts his wife and demands objective truth from her.
Discussion Prompts:
What are the consequences of combining the fallibility of human memory with the precision of digital technology? How does over-analysis of digitally stored memories or interactions lead to anxiety or conflict in the real world? What are the dangers of placing our personal memories into a context where they can be stolen or hacked or sold? In the digital age, is anyone truly able to forget anything? How is human judgement and agency impacted by digital memory?
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- 3 min
- Vimeo: Shalini Kantayya
- 2020
A brief visual example of an application of computer vision for facial recognition, how these algorithms can be trained to recognized faces, and the dangers that come with biased data sets, such as a disproportionate amount of white men.
- Vimeo: Shalini Kantayya
- 2020
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- 3 min
- Vimeo: Shalini Kantayya
- 2020
Coded Bias: How Ignorance Enters Computer Vision
A brief visual example of an application of computer vision for facial recognition, how these algorithms can be trained to recognized faces, and the dangers that come with biased data sets, such as a disproportionate amount of white men.
Discussion Prompts:
When thinking about computer vision in relation to projects such as the Aspire Mirror, what sorts of individual and systemic consequences arise for those who have faces that biased computer vision programs do not easily recognize?
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- 5 min
- MIT Technology Review
- 2021
The company Datagen serves as an example of a business which sells synthetic human faces (based on real scans) to other companies to use as training data for AI.
- MIT Technology Review
- 2021
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- 5 min
- MIT Technology Review
- 2021
These creepy fake humans herald a new age in AI
The company Datagen serves as an example of a business which sells synthetic human faces (based on real scans) to other companies to use as training data for AI.
Discussion Prompts:
Does it seem likely that synthetic human data has the power to combat bias, or could it just introduce more bias? Does this represent putting too much trust in machines?
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- 6 min
- n/a
- 2018
Through a series of interactions on a chat and a truth-or-dare type game, the user guesses if they are chatting with a bot or human.
- n/a
- 2018
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- 6 min
- n/a
- 2018
Bot or Not?
Through a series of interactions on a chat and a truth-or-dare type game, the user guesses if they are chatting with a bot or human.
Discussion Prompts:
Are you able to tell the difference between interacting with a bot or human? How? What indicators did you rely on to make your decision?