in progress
we trust

Our digitized world is a paradox of progress and peril. We as urban dwellers grapple with a host of tech-induced ailments such as eye strain, chronic pain, overstimulation, and social media addiction. As technology races forward, it leaves a wake of social exclusion for the elderly and psychological turmoil for the young.

The numbers are truly staggering. According to a GWI study we spend over 40% of our waking lives online, that’s six and a half hours every single day. 􀅴

Relatively recent breakthroughs like ChatGPT, Apple Vision Pro and Neuralink have only intensified this anxiety about our future, sparking dystopian fears of robots replacing humans or even a complete transfer of reality into the virtual. Yet, amidst this digital deluge, a glimmer of hope remains.

With this analysis I take a rather critical view on humanity's progress, while staying optimistic of the potential of Artificial Intelligence and Ambient Computing to solve the problems of the present. Human-computer interaction established more than 60 years ago was defined by the technological limitations of the time - the screen, the keyboard, the mouse… Current interfaces have not changed because computers have not changed. Fundamentally rethinking the physical form of tech allows us to design a relationship that’s more natural, healthy and symbiotic.

Over the past few decades, digital devices have gradually infiltrated various aspects of our collective existence, adapting to our needs and becoming smaller, more portable, wearable, and even implantable. 

This article is a distillation of the research for my bachelor’s thesis titled "A Collection of Wearable Computers for Multimodal Interaction with Artificial Intelligence”. With it I aim to define the archetypes of wearable computers in the coming years.

Technological revolutions

“The Agricultural Revolution was the biggest fraud in history,” claims Yuval Noah Harari in his book Sapiens. 􀅴 This upheaval brought poorer diets, longer work hours, crowded living conditions, declining health, and rigid hierarchies. 􀅴 Every subsequent technological leap has unrecognizably reshaped natural human life: the Industrial Revolution polluted the planet, 􀅴 and the Information Age—marked by computers and the internet—fueled social isolation and privacy concerns.Nowadays most of our communication has shifted to chat interfaces, which have been undermining trust and intimacy in relationships for decades. As Dr. Zack Carter points out, consistent, heightened levels of text-messaging behavior can potentially drive you apart from those you’re closest with. 􀅴

The promised connectivity of the digital age has paradoxically led to a detachment from genuine human interaction, leaving our souls bound to the illusory confines of a manufactured existence. Each revolution pulls us further from nature, forcing us to confront the consequences. 

Why have we chosen this path, and where does it lead?

The Agricultural Revolution
was inevitable

Harari argues that this epochal turning point began when humans moved from nomadic hunter-gatherers to sedentary farmers, seeking stability in lives. This led to population growth and more complex social structures. Harari points out that while this revolution brought significant difficulties, it was after all a natural progression.

In “The Origins of Virtue” Matt Ridley extends this argument to game theory, arguing that rational actors in a group of other rational ones inevitably form collectives to increase their chances of survival. This cooperative behavior extends beyond humans, manifesting even at the cellular level. The widely accepted Endosymbiotic Theory of Cellular Evolution posits that cells originated through symbiotic cooperation among bacteria. A prime example of this— the mitochondria, now inhabiting every cell in the body— is believed to have once been independent bacteria that became so specialised in the production of energy that around 1.5 billion years ago gave up their independence in exchange for a more stable life within the greater cell. 􀅴

"Society works not because we have consciously invented it, but because it is an ancient product of our evolved predispositions. It is literally in our nature." 

—Matt Ridley

Present

The Third Industrial Revolution brought humanity into the "Information Age" with computers that over several decades transformed from room-sized apparatuses in labs to smartphones in everyone's pockets. One of the biggest breakthroughs in society occurred with the emergence of the public internet and the creation of social networks. These networks revolutionized social life, and platforms like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok for many have now become an irreplaceble part of their everyday.

However, these novel inventions have a dark side. Riva Tez in her essay "Every Angel is Terrifying" critiques our times while echoing Nietzsche's idea of the "last man“: 

"You are basking in a fake glory. You are entertained and satiated. You are seemingly productive. But you are not great." 􀅴

This sentiment resonates, particularly among youth, as evidenced by a University of Chicago study revealing that students would be willing to pay money so that their peers and they themselves would stop using social networks. 􀅴

Aza Raskin, the inventor of infinite scrolling, argues that these platforms prioritize extracting attention over fostering human flourishing, leading to social alienation and psychological distress. He advocates for a paradigm shift towards an "Attention Regeneration" economy, much like the transition to renewable energy from fossil fuels. Only through this transformation, Raskin posits, can society address its most pressing challenges. 􀅴

The first step

In our pursuit of human flourishing—a state of optimal functioning and well-being across all aspects of life—we face a multitude of interconnected challenges and their nth order of effects. Therefore, while addressing physical well-being, economic systems, social structures, education is crucial, a fundamental obstacle persists: our attention is increasingly captured by the digital world. As Aza Raskin astutely observed, tackling these societal issues requires focused attention, yet our cognitive resources are largely diverted to screens, user interfaces, and social media.

This digital mandate we force on each other underscores a critical realization: the first step towards collective prosperity lies in recalibrating the human-computer relationship. By unlock the attention necessary we pave the path for a more balanced and fulfilling existence in both digital and physical realms.

The story of the Interface

Douglas Engelbart's 1962 "The mother of all demos" laid the foundations for modern human-computer interaction. Since computers were used by knowledge workers, interfaces therefore were designed for them. Thus, the graphical user interface (GUI), but more importantly, the desktop metaphor became the standard, which has persisted till this day and is the basis for even the most advanced personal computers.

Jason Yuan, in his provocatively titled essay "The desktop metaphor must die" argues that with the proliferation of PCs, the desktop metaphor failed to address the new use cases that have emerged since. Removing, he argues, all usability band-aids and beautifully frosted glass, what remains is the same 1972 Xerox PARC invention created for office work. 􀅴

Larry Tesler, who worked on Xerox Alto and Apple Lisa (the first commercial computers to use the desktop metaphor), in a 1997 lecture "Origins of the Apple Human Interface" recounts how the desktop metaphor was chosen:

“we’ll run user tests and let the users decide. So I ran tests and you know what, it turned out that the interface that we had, which <…> was kind of like “find file”, was actually <..> equaly easy to use, same error rate—very low, people understood both — there was no difference. <…> the last question I asked everbody was “which did you like better?” and they all liked the picture one better.” He continued: “It wasn’t a human factors decision at all, in the traditional sense. It was a decision based on what customers liked.” 􀅴

Jason Yuan has proposed the same "Find-file" interface, or rather its improved version, as a more humane alternative to the desktop metaphor with the "Mercury OS" concept. 􀅴

With the advent of AI, current interfaces can finally meaningfully change and create a more humane human-computer interaction. The long awaited concepts like mutative, ephemeral, and tangible user interfaces (TUI) are finally becoming viable, and it’s the LLMs we have to thank.

This shift is crucial, as a large part of the current problems associated with the digital world are caused by inhumane interfaces, which, except for the desktop metaphor, are dictated by outdated computer formfactors. For instance, laptop screens encourage poor posture, computer mice raise the risk of carpal tunnel syndrome 􀅴, and touchscreens, according to Finnish neuropsychologist Matti Bergström, can make children “fingerblind”. 􀅴

Human-AI Interaction

In recent years, with the rise of LLMs and ChatGPT—the fastest-spreading technology in history 􀅴—the chat interface has become ubiquitous, largely due to its familiarity and ease of implementation. However, communicating solely through text weakens interpersonal relationships, as text accounts for only 7% of communication. According to Prof. Albert Mehrabian, 38% of communication relies on tone of voice, while 55% is conveyed through body language. 􀅴 Since LLMs are trained on natural language, it’s reasonable to assume that these dynamics apply to them as well.

Text alone is an inefficient way to express complex ideas so it’s no surprise that in 2024, the introduction of inherently multimodal AI—like OpenAI’s GPT-4o and Google’s Project Astra, which allow users to communicate through text, voice, tone, and images—was hailed as “magical.” What sets AI apart from all other human creations is that it’s not only a universal tool like a computer, but a rational actor, like a human. 

The concept of Artificial Intelligence has roots in ancient times 􀅴 and ever since then, literature and art portrayed robots reasoning, making decisions and dealing with the same questions humans have. These multimodal models offer a glimpse into a foreshadowed future where computers will understand humans just like a person would.

Of course, such interactions bring a myriad of entirely new problems and ethical dilemmas. However, the prevailing challenge in designing AI interactions is to create as natural an interaction as possible without disrupting people’s deep-seated need for human relationships. I believe that the time will come when Artificial Intelligence becomes indistinguishable from real humans and, in principle, is able to replace human connection. Nevertheless, this transformation will occur in a time when societal norms and values will be vastly different from those we have today.

Until then, the goal is to create a computer that understands humans, regardless of their preoccupation or ability, and which acts and communicates in a natural and humane way.

What’s ahead?

As we stand on the cusp of yet another revolution, the recurring theme is clear: growing and pain are undivorceable. From the agricultural shift that distanced us from nature, to today’s digital age that severs us from true human experience, the trajectory of innovation is undeniable, but fraught with profound consequences. Wearable computers, brain interfaces, artificial intelligence—our inventions—offer unprecedented possibilities to bring humanity and technology into harmonious alignment—yet they also carry the burden of alienation, ethical dilemmas, and societal reshaping.

The challenge ahead is not merely to innovate but to humanize. If we can foster technology that respects the body, enriches the mind, and elevates our capacity for connection, we may transcend the limitations imposed by past revolutions. The future of human-computer interaction lies in crafting tools that amplify our senses and reinforce our humanity, rather than undermine it.

With my BA thesis I offer the first step towards a better digital life…