Context

Data it’s being recorded by a diverse number of organizations and actors through diverse mechanisms. This data is being used either to understand or analyze human behaviours and history. This being said, how does A.i, understands which stories and moments are worth to understand and study? How does A.I. analyzes potential value of determined human behaviours (both in moral and economic ways)? and how inclusive or exclusive this process is? Has A.I. any social, racial and gendered bias?

Project Specs

Design Research, Ethnography, Participatory Design, and Market Research.

Collaborators

Angel Lopez and

Historical Context

Migration is one of the global biggest challenges we face today. Since nowadays we are living in complex times of massive interconnectedness it is necessary for migration policy to meet technology. In the past and in the present, migrations have taken place as a natural movement of human groups in search of food and shelter, and later in the modern era because of political asylum and wars in search for humanitarian support, or simply because people aims to achieve a better a life. However, no matter what were the circumstances or reasons, when we decide to move from one place to another or from one continent to another, we all become exposed to a different form of vulnerability. Because migration is not only about leaving a geographical space it is about leaving behind other people, belongings, and even memories.

Solution

Introducing Memo, a new service for migrant communities. Using text messages to explore mental health through mobile devices, and the creation of digital diaries by people with limited access to technology and limitless communication services, assisted remotely with the use of artificial intelligence through text messages.

Concept and Technology

Using bots and chat interfaces with natural language understanding, having conversations to recognize personal insights and topic classifier, to create timelines of the user’s daily moments. The service will also have a series of commands to build a hidden home screen pulling information only when the user is asking. The user instead of downloading an app or use of different interface will only require the cell phones text messenger.

Market Research

Nowadays cellphones is one of the cheapest technologies a person can get, and also one of the most common objects to bring while traveling. Nevertheless, not everyone is privileged to afford the latest equipment or a data plan service with high speed internet. Some others just, don’t have enough tech skills, to download apps etc. and take advantage of technology. But most people, especially immigrants and refugees acquire the cheapest devices, because they just can’t afford it, even basic ones.

With this mindset, I wonder if is possible to use text-messaging interfaces with machine learning to tell people stories on a very conversational way and help migrant communities, use storytelling to write their own history on a digital journal stored in a cloud base service.

“Great chat-based apps will message you just enough helpful information you need and then wait silently until you pull asking for more specific information.” 

— Matt Hartman,BetaWorks.