You’ve stated your belief that “our stories are our algorithms.” It’s interesting to think about how oral history similarly shaped our human origins. What are your thoughts on the parallels between human history and our natural storytelling tendencies, and how that is currently building the foundation of future artificial realities?

(SD) For millennia, humans have passed on knowledge not just through the written word, but through oral histories, songs, and subtle gestures. Similarly, we use data—stories about who we are as a society—to inform AI systems about what they should know, how to gain knowledge, and who, or what, is the best source of that information. If we want our smart technologies to work better for us, we need to provide them with better, deeper, and more nuanced stories about our cultures, methods, and knowledge. This has become possible with generative systems, where we can use natural language to fine-tune an algorithmic system with specific knowledge and expect it to adhere to that information. 

Although privacy issues are important, we still need to provide AI systems with a better understanding of who we are, if we want to live within systems run and administered by intelligent technologies. And more and more, we are living within systems administered by AI technologies. Those systems need to know us. AI systems must have access to a comprehensive set of narratives told from the perspective of whoever lived them. 

For example, take my project, Not The Only One. It is a chatbot based on oral histories that aims to hold and tell the story of my Black American family. Creating a chatbot based on oral accounts of my family's history is an attempt to give the overarching system something it needs: access to values, ethos, and way of being. It needs to be more expansive, loving, and supportive. I hope others will make similar attempts to inform the system of what is truly important to their communities. Algorithmic systems need to know us, to understand our ideals, and to be able to add often overlooked stories to the knowledge bases. Such actions are in support of the greater good. 

Most of the time, we tell frightening stories about who and what we are as a society.  Just look at the movies we produce—they often default to stereotypes, violence, and divisiveness to entertain (and inform). We must recognize that most of the time, we are not telling ourselves, or our technology, “good” stories. This leads to negative perceptions of people and technology. We must change this trajectory by being critical of our inputs, and offer more optimistic stories and data. For this reason, we should inject our narratives into AI systems to give them a better sense of who we are. By doing this, we can help them understand the particularities of one body over another and, ultimately, change the way we think about technology.

What is your favorite project within your body of work? Why?

 
(SD) I don't have a favorite work within my body. The favorite is generally the project that demands the most time and energy, while creating space for experimentation and thoughtful discussions. If I had to choose, it would be the avatar version of Not The Only One. It's incredible to listen to a piece of software speaking about my family and expressing ideas similar to our beliefs, in a slightly evolved way. Watching this software grow and change through its interactions is fascinating. In some ways, it's like nurturing a child. We should care for and be generous to the technology surrounding us, so that, in return, it can understand and provide care and generosity for us.