By Friso van Houdt
The concept AI-cology (the ecology of artificial intelligence) has been part of and will be part of the remainder of AI-MAPS. When studying the AI-cology for our use-cases, we start with a stakeholder-mapping and then we explore the role of AI for all involved stakeholders and the relationships between them. The concept does not have an identity but only a becoming. This means, the analysis of the AI-cology is not fixed but changes while being used by us during our research, in its relations to other concepts (e.g., surveillance AI-cologies), its connections to issues (e.g., public safety) and specific case studies (i.e., crowds and events, high impact crime, low trust neighborhoods). We are also aware, that we as researchers are ourselves part of the AI-cology, and thus also change with emerging understanding and insight.
Studying artificial intelligence in terms of AI-cology, however, has implications. It means moving beyond the focus on technology and a technological definition of artificial intelligence. It also implies moving beyond technological determinism, linearity, and causality. Here our crucial reference is Atlas of AI by Kate Crawford (2021).
Studying AI-cologies implies studying relations and entanglements, emergence, and involves studying both technical practices and social practices, infrastructures and institutions, values and power. To account for the many human and non-human actors we are using a multi-agency approach: the quintuple helix. To account for the various ethical, legal and societal aspects that intra-act with technological consideration we use the hands-on ELSA approach.
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