Research enhancements of or through the field of digital artifacts
Scientific Innovation (23)
Find narratives by ethical themes or by technologies.
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- 12 min
- Kinolab
- 2016
Cooper, a world traveller whose father recently died of Alzheimer’s disease, is payed to play-test a virtual reality game in which a brain-computer interface will be inserted through his neck in order to place his consciousness into a horror scenario in which he is plagued by his deepest fears. After several terrifying vignettes, he begins to lose all of his memories, mirroring his ultimate concern of succumbing to Alzheimer’s like his father and continuing to ignore or forget his mother. After this, he appears to be rescued by the game’s managers, but the truth of his real-life situation is later revealed to be far more gruesome.
- Kinolab
- 2016
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- 12 min
- Kinolab
- 2016
Personalized and Occupational Dangers of Digital Realities
Cooper, a world traveller whose father recently died of Alzheimer’s disease, is payed to play-test a virtual reality game in which a brain-computer interface will be inserted through his neck in order to place his consciousness into a horror scenario in which he is plagued by his deepest fears. After several terrifying vignettes, he begins to lose all of his memories, mirroring his ultimate concern of succumbing to Alzheimer’s like his father and continuing to ignore or forget his mother. After this, he appears to be rescued by the game’s managers, but the truth of his real-life situation is later revealed to be far more gruesome.
Discussion Prompts:
Is it ethical to use human subjects to test digital games or realities involving personal psychological processes? What might some alternatives be? How can the safety of subjects be ensured? How can scientists ensure brain-computer interfaces are safe before trying them out on human brains? Can this ever be done ethically? How could technology which mines ones deepest psychological fears be used or abused outside of entertainment purposes?
Black Mirror: Cooper Arrives at Saito Games-
- 3 min
- Kinolab
- 2018
Wade Watts lives in an imagined future in which the OASIS, a limitless virtual reality world, acts as a constant distraction from the real world for the majority of citizens. In this scene, his virtual avatar Parzival visits the Halliday Journals, a complete archive of the memories of James Halliday, the creator of the OASIS. These memories are digitized in their complete abstract form, and seem freely accessible to anyone.
- Kinolab
- 2018
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- 3 min
- Kinolab
- 2018
The Digitization of Memory and its Consequences
Wade Watts lives in an imagined future in which the OASIS, a limitless virtual reality world, acts as a constant distraction from the real world for the majority of citizens. In this scene, his virtual avatar Parzival visits the Halliday Journals, a complete archive of the memories of James Halliday, the creator of the OASIS. These memories are digitized in their complete abstract form, and seem freely accessible to anyone.
Discussion Prompts:
How can tech like the “cloud” be used for the storage of abstract data like consciousness and memories? What would be potential impact on human memory if memories were easily able to become fully digital? What are the dangers of intimate memories being potentially accessible to anyone in the digital world?
Movie Title:
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- 10 min
- The New Yorker
- 2019
Great breakdown of the concerns that come with automating the world without understanding why it works. Provides the principal concerns with the “hidden layer” of artificial neural networks, and how the lack of human understanding of some AI decision making makes these machines susceptible to manipulation.
- The New Yorker
- 2019
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- 10 min
- The New Yorker
- 2019
The Hidden Costs of Automated Thinking
Great breakdown of the concerns that come with automating the world without understanding why it works. Provides the principal concerns with the “hidden layer” of artificial neural networks, and how the lack of human understanding of some AI decision making makes these machines susceptible to manipulation.
Discussion Prompts:
Should we still use technology that we do not have a full understanding of? Might machines play a role in the demise of expertise? How can companies and institutions be held accountable for “lifting the curtain” behind their algorithms?
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- 7 min
- Mad Scientist Laboratory
- 2018
The combination of the profit motive for tech companies and the vague language of non-binding ehtical agreements for coders means that there must be a higher regulation for ethical deployment and use of technology. Argues that there must be clear demarcations between what is considered real and human versus fake and virtual. Digital technologies should be regulated in a manner similar to other technologies, such as guns, cars, or nuclear weapons.
- Mad Scientist Laboratory
- 2018
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- 7 min
- Mad Scientist Laboratory
- 2018
Man Machine Rules
The combination of the profit motive for tech companies and the vague language of non-binding ehtical agreements for coders means that there must be a higher regulation for ethical deployment and use of technology. Argues that there must be clear demarcations between what is considered real and human versus fake and virtual. Digital technologies should be regulated in a manner similar to other technologies, such as guns, cars, or nuclear weapons.
Discussion Prompts:
How do we ensure the ethical use of AI by digital tech giants? Should there be an equivalent of the hippocratic oath for development of digital technology? How would you imagine something like this being put in place? Are the man-machine rules laid out at the end of the article realistic?
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- University of Houston
- 2015
The article explains what a BCI is, how it helps amputees, and how BCI technology continues to innovate.
- University of Houston
- 2015
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Researchers Build Brain-Machine Interface To Control Prosthetic Hand
The article explains what a BCI is, how it helps amputees, and how BCI technology continues to innovate.
Discussion Prompts:
As BCI technologies continue to develop, what are ways that they could harm or benefit users or other stakeholders? Why do you think this study used the test subjects it did? What are the potential short and long term benefits and/or harms of using this particular group of subjects?