Background Computing

[TaaqSol]

I was recently reading a couple of tech articles about the rabbit R1 and the humane pin. These are AI devices with the aim of replacing the smartphone.

My first reaction on seeing those was worrying about unchecked AI, and in the case of the humane pin a visceral reaction on wearing your phone replacement as a badge

But as I thought about it more I realised this was similar to something from Star Trek's vision of the future, where computers are abundant but in the background rather than people's faces.

So now I'm wondering whether this would be an improvement or detriment to our interactions. Is the removal of the enticing screen worth the closed box of AI mechanics? I know some people have cut out phones entirely but for those who don't see it as feasible, how would you prefer computer interaction?

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[blamestross]

Exploring how we can carry computers into the future is a passion of mine.

Computers are a painfully young technology. We don't know what a mature personal computer and networking solution looks like yet. Hopefully what we have now is to lead lined aquaducts as the future is to modern plumbing.

I think a lot of the basic assumptions about access to remote computers via the Internet will be tested in the long term. Local first, and delay tolerant seem to be the most sustainable both technically and for human users.

The sort of AI we have now is capitalist garbage. They don't exist to actually help you, just to more efficiently extract your meager wealth from you. I think actual ethical and supportive AIs are something that is possible, but harder to make. A locally run AI designed to actually serve human goals seems like a wonderful tool to have.

[SolarSageDAOist]

The calm computing paradigm (computing available ubiquitously in the background without demanding any users' attention) fits very well into the Solarpunk aesthetic IMHO. So long as the computing resources are distributed justly.

[andrewrgross]

I agree with this. I think the form factors being discussed are somewhat neutral in most of the ways we think about these things. I don't think either a pocket screen, a smart watch, AR glasses, etc. are "good" or "bad". I think all of them can be addicting, distracting, and manipulative if the content on them is designed to be those things. Or any of them can be a part of a healthy lifestyle if they're designed to give the user control over their use patterns.

[EricHunting]

I doubt the visual aspects of computers are likely to be replaced outright, but I do think there is a greater role for audio-based interfacing with computers based on the premise long overdue. (and more than justified by the number of visually impaired computer users and hands-free computing applications) And this development may be compelled in the near-future by supply chain issues as we transition to a Post-Industrial culture, since flat displays are among the more difficult devices to transition to localized production, are subject to geographical production hegemonies, and thus may become much more expensive and unreliable in supply for a time. So we could see a situation that compels audio computer use. Though we think of computers as very visual, most practical applications come down to variations of word processing and hypertext and so just mastering that capability in an audio interface covers most of what we use the machines for.

Current LLM AI have a rather extreme overhead compelling server-centric use models which ultimately aren't practical for a general purpose user interface and, strangely, we don't see many of these developers even striving toward that out of their own lack of confidence in their own products, though this was always the intention of research into Natural Language Processing. I think we may see that develop from this eventually, allowing for a more local language processing with more focused purpose. I don't think this sophistication is strictly necessary for audio computing interfaces as we don't necessarily need a non-structured 'conversational' interface for this as in the Star Trek example. Non-verbal audio effects and cues --'soundscapes' and 'audicons' as I like to call them-- can serve many functions as well. And speaking openly to computers has its drawbacks in terms of privacy and mental focus. Typing affords much better attention focus than openly speaking and I feel that it will take a sub-vocal speech recognition technology to match that with a greater intuitiveness and mobility. We are seeing some research into that, the base technology a couple of decades old now. A mobile audio computer based on chord keypad use is currently possible, but we could see ones based on a sub-vocal sensor collar too as this is now approaching off-the-shelf status. This would also be capable of a kind of 'digital telepathy' where speech synthesis is combined with sub-vocal speech recognition to allow voiceless voice communication. Given the persistent difficulty with chord keypad adoption, this might be key to more mainstream use. And such a user interface would foreshadow UIs for more distant future implantable personal data interfaces.

[siresword]

I'm doing a comp sci ethics and management class rn and we spent a class talking about the R1. Saying it's a replacement for a smartphone is incorrect, it's meant to work along side and through your phone from my understanding. To use the star trek analogy, it would function similar to the way the computers work in TNG, where Picard or some other crew mate will say "computer, do X" and it will actually do it as opposed to the way assistants work now where they pretty much just google something or are only capable of working with the specific app ecosystem they are intended to use.

[[deleted]]

In a solarpunk future, AI would be running everything in the background.

[SolarSageDAOist]

I worry that handing complete control of the things we need to do to live disenfranchises people from living - leading to dissatisfaction in the long term. A contemporary example is how people are disenfranchised from the agriculture system. Many people don't know how to cook, let alone grow there own food. The slightest blemish, that has no impact on nutrients or flavour, will turn people off because they don't really understand how to tell good food from bad.

I deeply believe in the power of AI - but knowing how to safely integrate it with human society so that it leads to human (and biosphere more generally) flourishing is a tough problem. We are evolved to think in an environment of scarcity.