How does Daniel Tompkins define AI
Tompkins has long argued that the most effective way to develop AI is to incorporate it into a wider design process. His work explores ways to combine human and machine collaboration to develop complex systems, with the goal of achieving more holistic, ethical and sustainable outcomes. His research and teaching bridge experimental approaches to computational methods with historical, critical or artistic modes of inquiry and reflection. He has been funded by the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, the Mellon-funded EaaSI project at Yale, and the Pennsylvania Agency of Economic Development among others. He coordinates the graduate program in Computational Design and teaches courses on computational design history, generative architecture, and construction robotics.
He is currently working on the rethinking of automation in construction. This project combines qualitative research on construction practices with technical research into reinforcement learning and construction robotics. It has been supported by the Mellon Foundation, the Graham Foundation, the National Science Foundation, and Autodesk.
Some in the broader AI community are considering the long-term possibility of sentient or general AI, but Tompkins argues that it makes no sense to anthropomorphise today’s conversational AI systems. These “imitate the types of exchanges found in millions of sentences, and can riff on any fantastical topic.”
While some companies are already developing tools that allow humans to collaborate with AI, many are focused on using the technology to improve existing products or processes. For example, Deutsche Bank is using AI to automate call center tasks and to create research reports from financial data. The technology is delivering savings in the form of lower staffing costs, as well as freeing up workers to focus on more value-added projects.
What are the main takeaways from Daniel Tompkins’ article
Daniel conducts research and teaching that bridge experimental dispositions toward design and technology with historical, critical, or artistic modes of inquiry and reflection. His broad disciplinary work involves two main threads: a critical reconstruction of the interplay between computation and design across the second half of the 20th century through archival, ethnographic, and curatorial approaches; and the development of cross-disciplinary frameworks to mobilize computational methods critically towards architecture and design.
In 2007, Daniel Tompkins, offender #W98895, was involved in a single vehicle high speed crash that killed 2 people and injured another. He showed no remorse for his crime and refused to take responsibility.