38 INTERACTIONS NOVEMBER–DECEMBER2018 INTERACTIONS.ACM.ORG
SPECIAL TOPIC
CYBERNETICS
AND THE DESIGN
OF THE USER
E XPERIENCE
OF AI SYSTEMS
Nikolas Martelaro, Stanford University
Wendy Ju, Cornell Tech
economy) systems [ 1]. In addition to
reaching goals, AI and cybernetics
both consider how systems can learn;
however, while AI considers using
stored representations as a means
of acting intelligently, cybernetics
focuses on grounded and situated
behaviors that express intelligence
and learning based on feedback and
interaction [ 2].
Currently, we are seeing a growth
in AI systems based on machine-learning techniques that exhibit forms
of intelligent behavior by creating
representations from large amounts of
data. Some examples include computer-vision systems that accurately
identify and label objects in images
and speech-input systems that can
understand natural language. Much
of the focus in recent AI has been on
training systems to exhibit intelligent
behavior, such as image recognition.
Cybernetics and artificial intelligence
(AI) are often considered the same
thing, with cybernetics having
something to do with creating
intelligent cyborgs and robots. In
actuality, cybernetics and AI are
different ways of thinking about
intelligent systems or systems that
can act toward reaching a goal. AI
is primarily concerned with making
computers mimic intelligent behavior
based on stored representations of
the world. Cybernetics more broadly
encompasses the study of how systems
regulate themselves and take action
toward goals based on feedback from
the environment. These systems
are not just computational; they
include biological (maintaining
body temperature), mechanical
(governing the speed of an engine),
social (managing a large workforce),
and economic (regulating a national
CInsights → Cybernetics can provide a useful framework for augmenting designers in creating human-centered interactive AI-enabled products. → Designers will no longer explicitly craft the interactions between a product and a user. Instead, we will need to design the meta-systems that design a product’s
interactions.