Our experts share their points of view on last Friday’s (day 4) conferences at SXSW. On the agenda: AI, healthcare inequality, and how to build trust in a transformed world. Happy reading!
David Bélanger, Director — Strategic Planning and Business Design, shares his synopsis from the session, “AI Will Not Solve Your Nazi Problem”.
There are many ways in which AI applications are already proving valuable and quite helpful, but what about the cases that aren’t as clear? We’ve seen terms like echo chambers and polarization emerge in the last years because of how algorithms influence the content we see (and seek) through social platforms, notably Facebook.
Can AI solve the issues around quality of information, fake news, and the trust crisis it generates? Short answer: no. But it’s not the AI, nor the algorithm’s fault. The definition of success is the problem here. Who defines this? Obviously, Facebook’s interest is to keep us there, “engaged”. Quality of information is not its KPI, though it’s a critical factor for different stakeholders and, to be honest, society.
The algorithm can’t infer what is the truth; it doesn’t have a model for that. So how will AI be deemed successful? At the moment, the definition of success is limited to those who have a financial interest in its roll out, not all the stakeholders involved and/or influenced.
The definition of success is the problem, not AI. This reinforces the importance of systems thinking and the crucial need for more discussions on ethics.
Conference: “AI Will Not Solve Your Nazi Problem”
Laura Li, Experience Designer, shares her point of view on the conference, “Patient-Centricity Reduces Healthcare Inequality”:
This session was about the importance of involving diverse patient voices in conversations around clinical trials, drug development, etc, but the takeaway isn’t limited to the pharmaceutical industry. It reminds us designers in the tech industry ofthe impact diverse consumer/user insights can have. Our research should reflect the real population at a deeper level (cultural challenges, languages barriers, demands in different communities) so that we can treat users as individuals and make them feel seen and heard. Mary Stutts, VP of Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc. describes this as “building the meaningful relationship at the ‘front end’, collaborating, listening, and connecting with different communities.”
Conference: “Patient-Centricity Reduces Healthcare Inequality”
Kat Savin, Experience Designer, sums up the purpose of Neesha Hathi, Executive VP & Chief Digital Officer at Charles Schwab, during the conference, “Building Trust in a Transformed World”:
“We’re in an epidemic of misinformation.” Today, consumers’ general sense of trust has hit an all time low. Instead, people are turning more towards people, communities, and businesses to fill the void and learn the truth.
Within an acceleration of trends, there’s a growth in consumers’ expectations towards businesses and services. We expect no less than full transparency, and we should always be getting more.
Now, it’s become clear that actions speak louder than words. Trust can take time to build, but it can be lost in a heartbeat. The path towards building trust equals consistency over a long period of time.
Businesses need to “understand the need to meet the need. We need to recognize diversity, and generate various experiences for various segments — it’s not homogeneous.”
When technology changes, consumers’ expectations change too. While AI offers immense utilitarian value, Harvard studies have shown that when we look for experiential and sensorial validation, we lean towards real people, especially in these volatile times.
A solid foundation for good UX is comprised of a unique combination of tech, digital experiences, and real people. This is the most powerful, effective, and sustainable way to build “cool, not creepy experiences”, and most importantly, trust. Plain and simple, people are here to stay… phew, what a relief!
Conference: Building Trust in a Transformed World
