Beskrivelse
Amid the recent uptake of Generative AI, sociotechnical scholars and critics have traced a multitude of resulting harms, with analyses largely focused on values and axiology (e.g., bias). While value- based analyses are crucial, I argue that ontologies—concerning what we allow ourselves to think or talk about—is a vital but under-recognized dimension in analyzing and imagining alternatives to these systems. Proposing a need for a practice-based engagement with ontologies, I offer four orientations for considering ontologies in design: pluralism, groundedness, liveliness, and enactment. I share examples of potentialities that are opened up through these orientations across the entire LLM development pipeline by conducting two ontological analyses: examining the responses of four LLM-based chatbots in a prompting exercise, and analyzing the architecture of an LLM-based agent simulation. I will close by sharing opportunities and limitations of working with ontologies in the design and development of sociotechnical systems.Bio:
Nava Haghighi is a PhD candidate in computer science at Stanford University, advised by Professor James Landay. Her research examines the ontological assumptions—the boundaries of what we allow ourselves to imagine—embedded in the design of sociotechnical systems, with a focus on AI and sensing systems. A critical technical designer, Nava develops theories and methods for surfacing ontological assumptions in current sociotechnical systems, and designs and builds systems toward expanding the presumed assumptions. She has worked as a PhD researcher at Apple with the Human-centered Machine Learning and Body-sensing Intelligence groups, as a research resident at SPACE10, and as a designer with global clients such as Lexus and Tesla. She co-founded Atolla, an AI skincare company that was successfully acquired in 2021. Nava holds a dual master of science in computer science and integrated design and management from MIT, and a bachelor of architecture from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.
| Periode | 26 aug. 2025 |
|---|---|
| Sted for afholdelse | Human-Computer Interaction and Design |
| Grad af anerkendelse | International |