Seminar: Smart technology vs smarter people?
Wednesday 14 December 2016 16.00-18.00, D72/MR11 FASS, Lancaster University -All Welcome
The application of smart technology is spreading in everyday practices. Devices such as self-driving vehicles and autonomous thermostats promise a more efficient future in which smart automation reduces human workload and energy consumption. But at what expense? I argue that the renegotiation of competences between people and ubiquitous smart technology tends to undermine and override people’s ability to situationally assess and achieve more ‘optimal’ conditions and respond to technical failures. In particular, I reflect on the role of expectations, delegation and alienation.