laimoh / computational-futures-and-ai

Information for Computational Futures and Artifical Intelligence Class

Computational Futures and AI (Autumn 2019/20)

Tutor: Alexander Fefegha
Tutor email: ********@ual.ac.uk
UAL CCI Slack: @AlexFefegha
Session Times: Wednesday 9.30-1.30 Location: CCI 5th Floor Block B

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Introduction

This unit explores the emerging area of machine learning (ML) and its potential impact on culture and society. The unit is a mix of practical tasks introducing ML frameworks such as TensorFlow and seminars that look at emerging practice across the arts and creative industries that employ some level of artificial intelligence. This unit will also explore the centrality of ‘the network’ to computational experience and how machine learning is extending its scope and reach.

From this exploration we will use your new material understanding of machine learning methods and your developing critical framework to question cultural assumptions regarding artificial intelligence and to speculate in writing about emerging computational futures. This primary aim of this unit is to enable you to look past the hype of ‘AI’ and develop your critical framework for thinking about computational technology.

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Alex's thoughts

This module will be at the intersection of speculative design, experiential futures, interaction design, critical thinking & creative coding.

My goals for the course for you is:

• To engage in critical creative practice with technology.
• To be philosophers who don’t write down ideas, but instead make objects that embodied them.
• To engage in rapid exploration and experimentation.
• To explore futures and shape alternative futures that is different from the norm.

We will explore things with studio work and seminar-style discussion.

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Tangibles

Throughout the module, our tangibles will include:

• mockups
• videos
• prototypes
• design fictions
• interaction designs

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Learning Outcomes

On completion of this unit you will be able to:

• Understand how machine learning work in practice (Knowledge, Process)
• Understand artificial Intelligence as a cultural concept (Enquiry)
• Critically discuss computational futures (Enquiry, Communication)

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Unit Content & Assessment

Unit Assessment Summary - This unit is assessed holistically
Assignment Description

• You are asked to produce an essay of at least 2000 words that answers the supplied essay question (100%). (ESSAY QUESTION WILL BE SHARED IN COUPLE WEEKS)

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Class Rules:

• To be human.
• There is no right or wrong.
• We are here to learn and have fun.
• Collaboration is everything. People are cool.
• Respect everyone and their difference.
• Give everyone a voice, recognize your privilege and be an ally.
• Challenge each other in nice ways :)

Process Log:

• I would love for you to write your thoughts and learnings somewhere. I use medium but it could be github, wordpress blog, twitter, insta, are.na or what every butters your bread.
• Write about the topics discussed in class, projects that inspire you, and the experimentations you will be doing.
• This is your space to reflect and express yourself. It is your digital sketchbook. Decorate your blog however you choose, use an informal tone, scan your drawings, use memes --- so far as the content is intelligible, organised, and shows critical engagement with content of the module.

Research Presentation Tips (from Irene Fubara-Manuel):

• Contextualise the chosen subject, within the proper historical, political, cultural, and artistic environment.
• Illustrate with videos, images, and text, the key pieces in the subject's portfolio.
• Highlight the tools, processes and motivations of the subject.
• Expand on how or why this topic speaks to you.
• Bring 2-3 questions from your research that we can discuss in the seminar.
• Submit your presentation as a PDF of your slides uploaded onto your GitHub repository.

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Reading List (Will be updated weekly)

Core Text:
Bratton, B.H. (2016) The Stack: On Software and Sovereignty. MIT Press.

Engelbart, D. (1962). Augmenting Human Intellect: A Conceptual Framework.

Dourish, P. (2017). The Stuff of Bits: An Essay on the Materialities of Information. MIT Press.

Karparthy, A, Hacker’s guide to Neural Networks

Manovich, L. (2013) Software Takes Command. A&C Black.

Montgomery, E. P, & Woebken, C. (2016). Extrapolation factory operator's manual. New York: Extrapolationfactory.com.

Dunne, A. & Raby, F. (2014). Speculative Everything: design, fiction and social dreaming. MIT Press.

Bleecker, J. (2009). Design fiction: A short essay on design, science, fact and fiction, Near Future Laboratory, Los Angeles, CA,

Bleecker, (2011). Design Fiction: From Props To Prototypes, Negotiating Futures / Design Fictions, Swiss Design Network 2011, Basel.

Kirby, D. (2010). The future is now: Diegetic prototypes and the role of popular films in generating real-world technological development. Social Studies of Science 40 (1), pp. 41-70.

O’Regan, G. (2012). A Brief History of Computing. Springer Science & Business Media.

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Weekly Schedule (Will be updated)

Week 1 (2nd October)

Seminar: Introduction Lesson (Slides for this lesson are in the slide folder) \\ Intro to Alex Fefegha's practice and his work exploring AI & creativity. We will then read "Man Computer Man-Computer Symbosis" & share our thoughts on it.

Assignment:

• Read: N/A

• Using the principles thought in class: N/A

Recommended Reading:
Licklider, J.C.R., "Man-Computer Symbiosis", IRE Transactions on Human Factors in Electronics, vol. HFE-1, 4-11, Mar 1960. Eprint.

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Week 2 (9th October)

Seminar/Studio: Experiential Futures (Slides for this lesson are in the slide folder) \\ An introduction to Experiential Futures, a brief history on future studies, exploring how futures and design intersect with each other & conducting a ethnographic experiential futures exercise.

Assignment:

• Read: Future-Oriented Design

• Listen: Google Design Podcast on speculative design

• Using the principles thought in class: N/A

Recommended Reading:
Montgomery, E. P, & Woebken, C. (2016). Extrapolation factory operator's manual. New York: Extrapolationfactory.com.

Dunne, A. & Raby, F. (2014). Speculative Everything: design, fiction and social dreaming. MIT Press.

Bleecker, J. (2009). Design fiction: A short essay on design, science, fact and fiction, Near Future Laboratory, Los Angeles, CA,

Bleecker, (2011). Design Fiction: From Props To Prototypes, Negotiating Futures / Design Fictions, Swiss Design Network 2011, Basel.

Kirby, D. (2010). The future is now: Diegetic prototypes and the role of popular films in generating real-world technological development. Social Studies of Science 40 (1), pp. 41-70.

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Week 3 (16th October)

Seminar/Studio: The Anatomy of An AI System (Slides for this lesson are in the slide folder) \\ An introduction to machine learning + creativity and the tools/frameworks used to make cool stuff! (ML5.js)

Assignment:

• Watch: Body, Movement, Language

• Read: Real-time Human Pose Estimation in the Browser with TensorFlow.js

• Make: Taking the work we did in class using the Ml5 library for PoseNet. I would like for you to build a clown face. Here's my example from class

Recommended Reading:

Crawford, K. and Joler, V. (2018). Anatomy of an AI System.

Hertzmann, A. (2018). Can Computers Create Art? Arts 7, 18

Agüera y Arcas, B. (2017) Art in the Age of Machine Intelligence. Arts, 6, 18

Resources:

PoseNet (Ml5.js)

Pose Estimation (Tensorflow.js)

Maya Man (Creative Technologist)

Google Experiments with AI

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