AI and Big Data

For the first part of our Week 07 class, we watched a video lecture by Griffith professor Dr. Dale Patterson on Artificial Intelligence and Data Visualisation. According to Dr. Patterson, today’s world is a highly digital one where technology empowers (or overloads us) with information aka Big Data. The million dollar question in relation to this is: how do we manage all this information? As with any tech problem, the logical step would be to use some sort of tool (or set of tools) in order to do so. In Dr. Patterson’s view, the best way to go about this is by utilizing data visualisation tools and Artificial Inteligence.

Data Visualisation in a nutshell is a quick and easy way of presenting information. It’s basically making data more digestible for users to understand by making them engage with the data through design. In order to effectively visualise data, data must first be mined or in other words, sourced, sorted and analysed. This is where AI comes in. Artificial intelligence is an important tool used in curating the world of big data. But is AI the best answer to our data woes? Dr. Patterson thinks it’s not the total cure-all everyone thinks it is becaue he says the we can only do certain, limited things with it (e.g. simple rules). Dr. Patterson explains the different forms of AI as:

1. Heuristic or “Rule of Thumb”-based AI - a system that is based on a set of simple rules to follow within very specific situations (e.g. smart advertising algorithms)

2. Brute Force - a system that analyses all possibilities using a “Decision tree” or the exhaustive analysis technique or by using permutations. It can only do one specific task (e.g. Chess playing program)

3. Neural Networks – involves a neural network, also called Machine Learning or Deep Learning and operates like the human brain, it can be trained to learn specific patterns or diagnostic tasks but with limitations as it can’t learn new things or make connections or links between things (e.g. face recognition)

Artificial intelligence works by:

1. Looking at current game states

2. Analysing and comparing possible next moves

3. Choosing best solutions

Dr. Patterson posits that AI is a very powerful tool but is definitely still very limited at this point. He ends by saying there is a huge potential in mixing the best design practices (visual and interactive design) with Big Data and AI and that together, they may provide even more value to users in the future.

How Does This Technology Affect My Discipline?

When we talk about the future, data isn’t usually one of the first things that come to mind. The fact is, the future is built on data. I actually read a lot about this when I did a research paper on The Experience Economy for my Emerging Futures course with Dr. Eleni Kalantidou. The experience economy suggests that experiences will be the next big consumable thing and because of that, a new generation of design skills will be required. Jobs like Experience Designer will most probably be in high demand soon. How do designers design a good experience then? Well, the answer lies in DATA and lots of it. Data will be at the core of everything in the future. It’s an incredible powerful thing that needs to be collected and used responsibly and ethically but considering the way things are going (Data privacy is a HUGE issue), the future of data may not be as rosy as we all hope it to be. As a consumer, I feel it is imperative that I become more aware of data privacy policies and how companies capitalise on data. As a designer, I think I should be more mindful of my responsibility in realising the implications of how apps mine data for capitalistic purposes.