Second Machine Age Knowledge Co-Creation Processes in Space and Time SMAK

Research Council of Finland

The SMAK increases the understanding of the second machine age knowledge and creativity processes between humans, robots and artificial intelligence significantly. In the second machine age, we are creative and create knowledge from ideas into justified results with intelligent artefacts that learn. This changes creativity and knowledge creation profoundly. However, the empirical research on intelligent artefacts is based on engineering and data-sciences and recognize poorly the everyday creativity and knowledge co-creation processes. Similarly, analysis of knowledge creation processes based on social sciences lacks empirical understanding of everyday cocreation with intelligent artefacts.

The SMAK challenges any state-of-the-art empirical approach of analyzing knowledge creation in the second machine age to re-ask: who knows/is creative, what is knowledge and creativity, and how are knowledge and creative outcomes co-created? The SMAK starts from the premise that both humans and intelligent artefacts may know and be creative, and builds a novel constructionist-cognitive understanding of knowledge to analyze co-creation processes. The key contribution is achieved through (i) developing further a novel, internationally and interdisciplinary awarded spatio-temporal approach, and (ii) using the spatio-temporal approach to empirically analyze the creativity and knowledge co-creation processes between humans and intelligent artefacts.

The SMAK covers three case studies that represent early adopters in Finland, San Fransisco and Singapore: 1) University robotics students in Finland (Tampere), Singapore, and Stanford University; 2) Artificial Intelligence communities of Turku and Singapore; and 3) artists and scientists who co-create with AI in Finland. The SMAK follows everyday co-creation processes with methods based on ethnography and processual research. The SMAK addresses the case studies on three levels: in communities, in selected university courses and groups, and via selected individuals. The key materials include interviews, observation, and mapping the mobilities of humans, messages and intelligent artefacts in various dimensions of spaces and times.

Duration
Project duration
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Units and groups
Project actors at the University of Vaasa
Management
Public policy and governance
InnoLab
Personnel
Principal investigator at the University of Vaasa
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Organisation coordinating the project
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