Biometric Mirror: Probing the Ethics of AI and Facial Analysis
I'm a Design Researcher based in Melbourne, Australia. I apply architectural design principles and approaches to enable ethical innovation. Primary areas of focus are artificial intelligence, facial recognition, and biometrics. My work reaches global audiences and highlights the importance of public participation in the quest to ensure that innovation creates tangible benefits for society. My commentary is featured regularly in print media and on television, where I discuss societal risks and opportunities of technology trends.
List of publications
Biometric Mirror: Probing the Ethics of AI and Facial Analysis
Stories of Exile: Hyperlocal Media Architecture in Contested Spaces
Media architecture aims to alter our experience of public space through the use of digital media integrated within the built environment. While most current manifestations serve general commercial, artistic or entertaining purposes, we believe media architecture has the potential to become more socially and architecturally relevant. However, little is known on how media architecture becomes more contextually integrated, from a socio-demographic, technical and architectural perspective. In this dissertation, we describe the design and evaluation of four in-the-wild case studies that each address particular contextual challenges of media architecture. All studies utilise a design-oriented research methodology that combines architectural and participatory methods with those from human-computer interaction.
- In OpenWindow, we handed over the control of public displays to households. We were able to demonstrate how such open public displays positively influence social cohesion.
- In StreetTalk, we evaluated how participatory design is able to broaden the design space of sociable media architecture, and how user-generated content is characterised by particular local relevance.
- In Encounters, we analysed the contextual, spatial and social factors that influence engagement in public interactive systems.
- In Stories Of Exile, we evaluated how participatory media architecture serves as an interface between local community members and refugees.
Our case studies demonstrate how media architecture becomes a sociable tool that is relevant in its context, by: 1) enabling multiple stakeholders to collaborate in the design; 2) communicating information that is grounded in the local identity; 3) incorporating design characteristics to promote engagement; and 4) optimising the integration within the surrounding architectural context.
Synchronized Wayfinding on Consecutively Situated Public Displays
Honeypot Effect: Audience Engagement in Interactive Installations
Social Influence of Full-Body Interaction with Public Displays
„TikTok: Data Mining on the World's Most Popular App”, in ABC Four Corners
„The TikTok Spiral”, in ABC News
„Glowing Entrance Revealed for Melbourne's Newest Museum”, in Sydney Morning Herald
„All Hail the Algorithm”, in Al Jazeera
„Reflecting the Imperfections of AI”, in BBC News
„Perfect Humans: Good or Bad”, in The Age
„Should We Believe this Algorithm?”, in Sydney Morning Herald
„This AI Judges You Based on Our Biases”, in World Economic Forum
„Facial Scanning Abuse Looms”, in The Washington Times
„AI Deciphers your Personality”, in ABC, Triple J
„Media Architecture Changes the City”, in ABC Newcastle, Australia
„Make Friends While Printing”, in De Standaard, Belgium
„What if Houses Could Talk?”, in Campuskrant KU Leuven, Belgium
„Our Neighbors have Something to Tell”, in Radio 1, Belgium
„If Houses Could Talk...”, in De Standaard Avond, Belgium