Concept Statement

I am researching Human Machine Relations
in the domain of HCI
so that I can find out better ways of interacting with our machines.
My goal is to propose a solution to this problem in the form of multiple prototypes
with affordances, including new kinds of machine intelligence, multi-species communication, and creating emotional relationships with machines
so that people may build new kinds of sustainable, diverse, and emotional machines.

Research Questions

My concept statement is fairly broad, and encompasses within it an ever expanding scope of research. I’ve framed my concept statement in a vague manner, as I’d like to expand my scope of research before narrowing it down to a few topics. Some of the key questions for my project are:

  • New models of computing
    • Emotional connections with machines
    • metrics of success (carbon footprint, repairability, lifespan, etc.)
    • What could healthier interactions look like?
    • Rethinking data structures
    • Subvert web 3.0
    • ‘healthy’ behaviours with digital technology?
    • how do different interfaces/mental models affect our use of technology?


  • New kinds of machine intelligences
    • Planet centered machine intelligence
    • Multi-species communication and intelligence networks
    • closed loop machine learning practices (Data, energy, ownership, etc.)
    • Tapping into non-human intelligences


The intent is to create a few small prototypes, each of which will explore a certain topic or idea. The next step after this will be to frame a list of questions, and then go about answering them with research and eventually a prototype. Small, interactive prototypes which focus on the user experience and frameworks are preferable as they can be used to further ask more questions and provoke conversations.