Message Ritual: A Posthuman Account of Living with Lamp

Title of the Paper

Message Ritual: A Posthuman Account of Living with Lamp

Publication Information

• Subject Area: Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Posthumanist Philosophy, Artificial Intelligence, and Domestic Technology
• Keywords: Memory Augmentation, Posthumanism, Narrative, Poetry, Generative Networks, Diffractive Analysis

Research Background and Problem Statement

• Identified Problems or Challenges:

  • The relationship between humans and machines is becoming increasingly complex, with traditional human-machine boundaries no longer clearly defined within the context of posthumanist philosophy.
  • Current technologies (e.g., AI) in domestic environments are transitioning from mere tools to more complex forms of interaction, such as collaborators or co-creators.
  • The impact of novel domestic technologies on the construction of memory and identity, as well as their potential for deep interaction based on language and poetic expression, remains underexplored.

• Importance of the Problem:

  • Domestic technologies have the potential to redefine the understanding of daily rituals and personal memory, exerting a positive influence on social and individual relationships.
  • AI, as a technology with autonomy and generative capabilities, may alter the dynamic relationships within personal and familial environments.

• Research Motivation and Related Work:

  • Inspired by the fourth wave in HCI (posthumanist theory) and new perspectives on materiality and relational essence.
  • Concepts such as "Entanglement HCI" provide a design framework that views human-machine relationships as dynamic, open-ended collaborations.
  • Previous research has largely focused on tool intelligence and efficiency, whereas this study delves into how poetic narratives can facilitate memory reconstruction and identity reflection.

Proposed Solution

• Proposed Method or Solution:

  • Message Ritual: A domestic lamp system embedded with artificial intelligence (AI). The lamp listens to household conversations, captures key themes, and generates daily morning poetic text messages based on a generative language model.
  • The system design integrates auditory perception (speech recognition) with poetic natural language processing techniques, aiming to reorganize memory and narrative through "domestic rituals."

• Innovative Features:

  • Interdisciplinary integration of posthumanist philosophy, artificial intelligence, and language generation technology.
  • Clarifies the non-instrumental role of domestic technologies, exploring their significance as "dynamic relationship builders."
  • Uses poetry as a medium to connect language with memory reconstruction, embedding it into everyday life.

• Implementation Steps:

  1. Hardware Design: A custom lamp equipped with a microphone array and embedded computer (Raspberry Pi) for recording and uploading voice data.
  2. Speech Transcription: Utilizing cloud-based AI services (e.g., Assembly AI) for speech-to-text processing.
  3. Theme Extraction: Applying TF-IDF analysis to identify key themes from daily conversations and generate seed phrases for poetry.
  4. Poetry Generation: Using a fine-tuned GPT-2 model to create personalized poetic texts, which are sent to users via text messages.
  5. User Interaction: The lamp, as an embodied technological artifact, is integrated into daily household routines, encouraging deep reflection on linguistic memory.

Research Outcomes

• Specific Outcomes:

  • Developed a prototype domestic lamp system (Message Ritual) that influences family interactions and their relationship with personal memory.
  • Experimental findings indicate that the lamp, as a cornerstone of household rituals, provides structured time for life reflection and memory reconstruction.

• Comparison with Existing Solutions and Advantages:

  • Unlike traditional smart home devices, Message Ritual emphasizes poetic reflection and emotional interaction rather than purely functional utility.
  • Introduces a novel "language-memory-relationship" technological framework, surpassing the instrumental role of domestic technologies.

• Experimental or Evaluation Results:

  • A two-week study was conducted with 4 households, involving participants aged 27-36.
  • Diffractive Analysis revealed diverse impacts of the device on different family members and lifestyles:
    • The device encouraged more communication and linguistic reflection among family members.
    • For single individuals, the device served as a form of "emotional diary."
    • Some users expressed emotional attachment and reluctance to part with the device, indicating its role in shaping rituals and emotional bonds.

• Limitations and Future Directions:

  • The current experimental scale is limited, with a narrow age range of participants, and the two-week duration is insufficient for exploring long-term effects.
  • Future research should involve larger-scale longitudinal studies to examine the system's long-term application across diverse family structures.
  • Enhance the complexity and emotional richness of the poetry generation model; develop more portable lamp networks to cover entire household spaces.
  • Improve device transparency and privacy protection to address potential concerns regarding data collection and usage.

By integrating posthumanist thinking with emerging intelligent technologies, this study provides a pioneering direction for structuring human-machine relationships, emphasizing the indispensable role of ethics and humanities in the design process.