Remember the very first Star Wars film that came out (A New Hope, not the prequels)? The first characters we really get to know are R2-D2 and C-3PO – artificial intelligence (AI)-powered robots. That’s a powerful thing, says IBM distinguished designer and design practices director Adam Cutler.
Cutler works with AI every day. But it’s not just making AI systems – it’s about a human-centred approach to AI. In other words: AI we can interact with and have natural conversations with.
Cutler was a keynote speaker at AI Day in Auckland this past week, an event which brings smart homo sapiens from all over the world to discuss developments and implications in the field of artificial intelligence, among other things. Cutler’s keynote was about forming emotionally authentic relationships between humans and machines – kind of like Luke Skywalker’s friendship with R2-D2 in Star Wars, or how the crew of the Enterprise bonded with the android Data in Star Trek: The Next Generation.
This is also Cutler’s first visit to Aotearoa. Aside from AI Day, he says Soul Machines is a company he’s a big fan of and excited to finally meet.
Have a listen to what else he has to say below – including one of his favourite scenes from Star Wars: The Last Jedi and why it resonates so powerfully for designing AI.
