Exploring the Nuances of Designing (with/for) Artificial Intelligence

Solutions relying on artificial intelligence are devised to predict data patterns and answer questions that are clearly defined, involve an enumerable set of solutions, clear rules, and inherently binary decision mechanisms. Yet, as they become exponentially implemented in our daily activities, they begin to transcend these initial boundaries and to affect the larger sociotechnical system in which they are situated. In this arrangement, a solution is under pressure to surpass true or false criteria and move to an ethical evaluation of right and wrong. Neither algorithmic solutions, nor purely humanistic ones will be enough to fully mitigate undesirable outcomes in the narrow state of AI or its future incarnations. We must take a holistic view. In this paper we explore the construct of infrastructure as a means to simultaneously address algorithmic and societal issues when designing AI.