Epistemologies of AI: A Techno-Anthropological Study of Researchers' Experience of Differences in Epistemic Cultures between the fields of Civil Engineering and Artificial Intelligence in an Interdisciplinary Project at Aalborg University's research center 'AI for the People'
Author
Haxvig, Helena Amalie
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2021
Submitted on
2021-04-30
Pages
68
Abstract
Dette speciale undersøger, hvordan forskere oplever forskelle i epistemiske kulturer og miljøer i et tværfagligt projekt med kunstig intelligens (AI). Med epistemiske kulturer menes de forskellige faglige måder at skabe og vurdere viden på, og miljøer henviser til de arbejdsrammer og vaner, der præger forskningen. Studiet er et kvalitativt casestudie af et tværfagligt forskningsprojekt mellem afdelingerne “Built Environment” og “Architecture, Design and Media Technology” ved Aalborg Universitet. Projektet handler om at bruge AI til at optimere indendørs visuel komfort, dvs. at forbedre de lysforhold, som mennesker oplever indendørs. Viden og empiri blev indsamlet gennem mødedeltagelse, interviews og adgang til både personlig og officiel korrespondance knyttet til casen. Det empiriske materiale blev analyseret gennem en teoretisk ramme baseret på flere litteraturgennemgange med fokus på tværfaglig vidensproduktion og begrebet epistemiske kulturer. Da der ikke var tydelige spændinger i det daglige samarbejde, rettede analysen sig mod bredere tendenser, der påvirker forholdet mellem Civil Engineering og AI. Her identificerede studiet tilgange til at udbrede og afmystificere AI, særligt i relation til, hvordan Computer Vision (AI, der fortolker billeder og video) kan anvendes i det byggede miljø.
This thesis explores how researchers experience differences in epistemic cultures and milieus within an interdisciplinary project involving artificial intelligence (AI). Epistemic cultures refer to the different disciplinary ways of creating and judging knowledge, while milieus point to the working contexts and habits that shape research. The study is a qualitative case study of a collaborative project between the “Built Environment” and “Architecture, Design and Media Technology” departments at Aalborg University. The project focuses on using AI to optimize indoor visual comfort, that is, to improve the lighting conditions people experience indoors. Knowledge and empirical data were gathered by taking part in meetings, conducting interviews, and accessing personal and official communications related to the case. The empirical material was analyzed through a theoretical framework built from several literature reviews, with an emphasis on interdisciplinary knowledge production and the notion of epistemic cultures. Because no obvious tensions were found in the day-to-day collaboration, the analysis turned to broader patterns that shape the relationship between Civil Engineering and AI. Through this lens, the study identified approaches to the diffusion and demystification of AI, particularly regarding how Computer Vision (AI that interprets images and video) can be applied in the built environment.
[This summary has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]
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