| In her research project Merel investigates the limits to and possibilities of the envisioned human/intelligent machine configurations that emerge from debates concerning advances in intelligent computational technologies. Scientific and commercial projects in the field of agent technologies, closely related to the field of Artificial Intelligence, argue for a change in our current relationship to computational technologies. They advocate technologies that are not passive tools, but that are our partners , collaborators or our cognitive prosthetics as they think for or with a human user. The promises of these types of intelligent technologies have instigated a renewed interest in how humans and technologies relate to each other and have sparked intense debates about what sets humans apart from machines. Yet, if we look at current day research into these types of technologies this convergence or symbiosis of humans and machines is still very much a promise rather than reality. Discourses on the possibilities of intelligent technologies seem to make a sudden conceptual shift in attributing autonomy, pro-activity or adaptivity to these technologies. Yet, it remains unclear how, when and where they will acquire these abilities. It is the awkwardness of this conceptual shift that leads to the main questions of this project: What exactly is it that will be so fundamentally different about these technologies? And what are our expectations of the role of intelligent technologies as part of human activity? This research project sets out to extend the conceptual framework in which discussion about the possibilities and limitations of these technologies can be discussed. The project entails an analysis of three concepts commonly used to describe agents: adaptivity, pro-activity and autonomy. The analysis is based on empirical examples and draws on theories and ideas about the human/technology relationship from philosophy of technology, sociology, anthropology and Science and Technology studies. |
