Through the Praxis Lens
We need to have ethnographers in AI labs
Investigation by
Abstract
The fast-paced design, development, and deployment (DDD) of AI systems across a range of environments speak to a need to better understand the context in which these systems are created and used. This white paper proposes a conceptual framework of ethnographic studies for capturing the diverse sociocultural contexts and human practices around the entire lifecycle of AI systems. It outlines a systematic approach to embedding ethnographers throughout the AI DDD process. Drawing from existing literature on ethnographic and Participatory Design (PD) studies, this paper offers a breakdown of the AI mega-process (research, design, development; testing and evaluation; deployment and iteration) and suggests positioning ethnographers next to participatory designers for a deeper understanding of these mega-processes. As such, it helps make AI developers’ and marginalised groups’ practices visible, thereby accounting for a full picture of AI DDD. While emphasising ethnographic and PD studies in AI DDD, this paper recommends further research to produce case studies that incorporate embedding ethnographers throughout the AI lifecycle.
Introduction
“Innovation is an imagination of what could be based in a knowledge of what is.”