AI and creatives’ complicity in their own extinction
Every click, every search and every hashtag fuels the machines that may one day replace many of today’s designers and creatives
Summoning the demon? How safe are creative jobs from automation?
Despite reassuring research suggesting that creative jobs are safe from automation, AI looks likely to take over much of the more mundane work of designers and art directors. But rather than an existential threat, the optimistic view is that by freeing creative people from drudgery, AI could open the door to exciting new opportunities.
Watching them, watching us: can we trust Big Tech to regulate itself?
AI systems are already impacting our lives, yet few legislators understand them, never mind knowing how to control them. In the absence of effective government oversight, can we trust Big Tech to regulate itself?
Nick Asbury and Russell Davies discuss the impact of automation on writing
As brands look to automate customer interactions and even creative processes, writer Nick Asbury and writer/strategist Russell Davies (both humans) discuss some of the implications – in a conversation covering writing, speech, taglines, boat trips and unexpected items in the bagging area.
Vita Design Museum show Hello Robot explores our relationship with machines
What is a robot? Carlo Ratti – director of MIT’s Senseable City Lab and an adviser to the Vitra Design Museum’s new Hello Robot exhibition – defines a robot as anything with sensors (tools or apparatus to collect data); intelligence (the ability to interpret that data) and actuators that can generate a physical response. “If those […]
V&A Tech Lead Duncan Gough on using AI to make useless, beautiful things
Duncan Gough makes art from social tech, creating meaningful experiences and even robotic companions. Here, he talks to collaborator Leila Johnston about his desire to use AI to make useless, beautiful things
Delusion & data-driven design: Who makes decisions, the designer or the computer?
As data and its use becomes ever more central to creative practice, designers must decide who is making the decisions – them or the computer? Francisco Laranjo argues that a thorough understanding of the technical, social and political workings of algorithms and AI are key to the profession’s future
The writers of hit TV series Humans on evolving attitudes to our friends electric
In the Channel 4 series Humans, audiences were shown a world where androids – or ‘synths’ – are a part of normal, everyday life. We talk to the show’s writers, Jon Brackley and Sam Vincent, about the real AI that lies behind the story, and whether the robots are, in fact, coming.
Predictions for the new decade: Perry Nightingale
To mark the start of the 2020s, we’ve asked a selection of our regular columnists to offer up some predictions of what lies ahead for the creative industries. Here, creative technologist Perry Nightingale outlines some wildcard moments in tech that may happen this decade
Zao and the addiction to Face Value
CR columnist and AI maestro Perry Nightingale tries out the hugely popular Chinese deepfake app Zao, and after getting over some language barriers is surprisingly excited by what he discovers
Why we need to rethink AI – before it’s too late
In his new book Human Compatible, computer scientist Stuart Russell argues that it’s time for a radical shift in our approach to designing AI, before we lose control of systems that were built to help us
Can we get over our aversion to AI?
Scaremongering news headlines and TV shows like Black Mirror have got many of us fearful that ‘the robots are coming’, while the Japanese have been happily frolicking with robot dogs for decades. We delve into the differing perceptions of AI in East and West
Why creativity is far more precious than we realise
In the process of teaching himself how to code AI, our columnist Perry Nightingale develops a new found appreciation for human artistry. There are some skills we simply cannot transfer to machines, he says
Building a voice interface for Headspace
Headspace’s voice apps now have over 1 million subscribers. Speaking at Adobe MAX last week, Head of Product Randhir Vieira explained how the mindfulness brand worked with Rain to bring meditation and sleep exercises to Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa
Which brands will succeed in a driverless future?
In a world of Autonomous Vehicles, will it be legacy carmakers, tech brands or new players who lead the way? In an extract from ustwo Auto’s new book Humanising Autonomy: Where Are We Going? Principal of Design Tim Smith predicts what consumers will be looking for, and how brands will try to position themselves, in a driverless future
Something is Wrong on the Internet – YouTube and its disturbing, systemic problem
Children’s YouTube is full of oddities but it is now being used to systematically frighten and traumatise children. What’s more, it’s not merely the content that is harming younger audiences, the very system itself is massively corrupted
The Medium is the Mirror: Automation in Visual Communication
Advances in AI make it likely that we will soon see fully-automated design and creative services delivering optimised messages with maximum impact. So what will creative people do instead?
Six principles for designing voice interfaces
Voice interfaces are becoming more commonplace, but our expectations of them still outpace what’s available. Michael Levy, an interaction designer at Fjord, offers six tips for creating engaging voice UIs
“AI is not sentient … it’s just another piece of technology”: Hudson-Powell on creating an identity for Graphcore
Pentagram partners Luke Powell and Jody Hudson-Powell have created an identity system inspired by machine learning for Graphcore – a UK and US-based company that makes processing units for AI applications. The system avoids techy cliches and instead features a dynamic typeface, a shape generator and some colourful illustrations that aim to make AI seem more accessible
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Beyond the chatbot: Can AI improve your customer experience?
Ten years ago, you might have decided your business needed a smartphone app to compete. Today, you may be considering putting a chatbot on your website for the same reason. But consumers have never been more empowered – and they don’t want chatbots. In fact, they don’t even want to navigate around your website.