Workshop by Tommy Nilsson

Tommy Nilsson will run an interactive workshop with the group.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is on its way to creating a situation where the amount of data being produced will often be beyond the capacity of a human mind to act upon. Consequently, a growing number of tasks involving the IoT, ranging from waste management to microgeneration of electricity, is gradually being handed over to computer agents and thus automatized. The practice of automation is however not devoid of potential problems. Research has for example found that systems operating autonomously run a greater risk of impeding privacy and reducing the trust of users. It is reasonable to assume that a successful adoption of this technology will thus only be feasible if users are granted a degree of control over those aspects of the system that they are concerned about. This means that converging on a balance between automation and user-engagement will become a key design challenge. To facilitate such an adequate level of interaction between autonomous systems and their users, we have to look beyond the traditional desktop metaphor.

The aim of this study is to gain a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities for human interaction with autonomous IoT systems in the home. The study will present a number of storyboards enabling participants to explore utopian and dystopian scenarios of autonomous systems. Participants are invited to reflect on the scenarios and shape our understanding of the challenges and opportunities for human interaction with these systems.