As we got the chance throughout the weeks to not only meet up with our project groups but also with reading groups, we were able to get an additional chance to get further insight into the future of work and the future world in general. There were readings that were more helpful than others in terms of relevancy regarding our own projects. We came across topics like Bitcoin, the UK housing market, job requirements, or the current school system, which commented on the issues the topics are related to for instance. This was certainly helpful to inspire us to think deeper into certain current concerns and how this could transition and advance in the future. It also made us reflect on topics like technology and what could potentially happen if humanity isn’t careful enough. Topics as such widened our minds to think more critically about ordinary matters we are surrounded by on a daily basis. Since we are so used to them, we often don’t see them as a threat and instead we tend to worry too much about new inventions, while the existing ones still advance and can harm us if we are not cautious enough.
The mentioned reading topics above were helpful in the sense of starting to make us think in different directions and from new perspectives. Nevertheless, readings about the recreation of certain art styles with the help of AI, such as the text “The zombification of Art History: How Al resurrects dead masters and perpetuates historical biases.” described was applicable to our own project of our group ”Pear”. It described the limitations AI has in certain sectors, such as art, and questioned how it ever could be original in terms of art creations. The narrators of the text also described how in their opinion the outcome of the AI artwork they examined wasn’t satisfying. This specific view on AI in relation to art reminded me of my interview, in which the questioning of creativity also came across.
To conclude this subject, it can be said that AI has a long way to go in the creative field in terms of creating on its own but should be taken advantage of when it comes to collaborating with the human or for ordinary routine tasks. This in particular could save humans time, which they could use for their own creativity.
Further than that, the reading ‘’ Enacting Reflection Through Sci-fi ‘‘ really influenced me positively into imagining the future world and how it could look like with a more realistic approach. The text is deeply connected to the tv series ”Black Mirror”, which is contrary to many other Sci-Fi movies or series, as Black Mirror portrays a rather realistic version of the future, which makes it on the other hand more shocking to the viewer. Nevertheless, this is what makes people start to reflect on themselves and the society we live in.
As Black Mirror depicts a different reality in each episode, it was especially helpful for this Unit and group project, as the task of the activity was to imagine a future institution for instance, and how it could look like, as well as operate.
Unquestionably, we came across particular other documents and contents that influenced us, and me for this specific project, nevertheless, those two texts were especially dominating and relevant for me to make me start envisioning a future sphere.
