Designing Value-Centric AmI: Building a Vision for a Caring AI Using Ambient Intelligent Systems

Abstract

The proliferation of Artificially Intelligent agents and embedded, publicly-available sensing systems has placed great importance on the field of study known as Ambient Intelligence (AmI). AmI systems point to a future where urban areas are at least partially aware of (and responsive to) their inhabitants. AmI systems present significant technical hurdles for implementation; less studied, however, is their potential impact in terms of user experience. This research reviews the process of creating a design vision for such a system, where user values act as the driver for design. Specifically, the process of designing a vision for a future personal lighting AmI, in collaboration with a leading light provider, is used as a case study to describe a framework for the generation of a caring AmI system. In order to keep the idea of a caring AmI system at the center of the design vision, a value-centric design approach is utilized. Furthermore, scenario-based design is used to construct a series of storytelling videos that describe various possible interactions of users with the system and communicate the user values. As an additional contribution, the scenarios were then dissected using a graphic scene-by-scene analysis. This technique provides an armature for hosting the complex discussions needed to review both the technological features and user values inherent to any future AmI system.