Week 04 - Writing

Lami'ah Nosarka
Oct 31, 2023
4 min read

25/10/2023 - 01/11/2023

This week our lecture was a writing workshop which focused on writing techniques, specifically, the #MICEQuotient as well as #DesignFiction

Activity #1

I have chosen to explore "Hearables" which are a type of wearable electronic devices specifically designed to be worn either inside or around the ear. They enable users to do a large variety of actions compared to conventional earphones. They have bluetooth capabilities and incorporate hearing aid technologies which allow for enhanced hearing experiences while maintaining hearing safety.

Stereotypical users and uses:

USERS	USES
Students	Students can benefit from the noise cancelation feature of hearables especially when trying to study in areas that may be too noisy. They can also benefit from other features such as bluetooth capabilities for streaming educational videos or joining virtual lessons.
Gym-goers	Gym-goers can use hearable to enjoy an enhanced workout experience during every workout session. This can be achieved due to enhanced sound quality features, noise cancelation and bluetooth capabilities provided by hearable devices. Many hearables are also "sweat-resistant" and sometimes even water resistant, allowing users to enjoy their devices without the fear of damage due to contact with water or sweat.
Gamers	Gamers can enjoy an enhanced gaming experience when using hearables. They can benefit from the noise cancelation feature, bluetooth capabilities as well as sound customisation. They can also greatly benefit from the surround-sound feature, which enables users to experience sounds in "3D".
Music lovers	Those who are greatly interested in music can benefit from many features offered by hearables. Specifically sound customisation, allowing users to alter different aspects of music to their liking. Many hearables are also capable of downloading and storing songs which can benefit users when they do not have their phones, laptops or other devices that may store their music.
Movie-watchers	Movie or series watchers can benefit from the noise cancelation feature, bluetooth capabilities and surround sound feature provided by hearables. Specifically with the surround sound feature, users are able to watch in "3D", as if they were actually in the scene being watched.

Non-stereotypical users and uses:

USERS	USES
Hearing patients	Hearables allow users to learn about their personal hearing by providing users with hearing tests with the help of AI. However, one do not need to be an official medical patient in order to undergo such tests as they are made available on most hearable devices available for public purchase.
Those who require hearing enhancements	These fall under the category of non-prescribed hearing aids designed for non-permeant use. There hearables enable users to experience sound enhancements of the outside world that they are not necessarily able to hear.

Activity #2

Flash Fiction

"Ping", went Khadijah's phone in her pocket. Her heart dropped. "Could this be my results?", she thought. She pulled out her phone and looked with hesitation. But all she saw was a text from one of the 7 university social groups that she had joined but never really read the texts yet alone participate in any of their activities. She muted the group and put her phone back into her pocket.

"Ping", went her phone again. "Gosh, I thought I muted that group chat!", she said as she pulled out her phone again.

It started to rain a bit on her walk back from school which she only realised when she saw a few rain drops appear on her illuminated screen. She wiped her screen on her jeans to remove the water and looked back at the notification that was now opened. It was an unfamiliar document at first glance. As she looked closer the document read; "Greenside Laboratry DNA results".

Her heart dropped. Again.

"I'm adopted?! By robots?!".

She arrived back home and saw her parents preparing dinner together in the kitchen. An act completely normal, an act that human parents do. "Maybe the results were a false negative?", she thought to herself doubtfully. But as she observed them she slowly started to notice the small "robotic" gestures that they displayed.

"Are you both... robots?", she asked.

"Yes, we are", replied her father. "And so are you, honey", added her mother.

Khadijah was 17 years old and standing in her kitchen when she realised that her life will never be normal again.

Word count: 263

Summative Assessment #1

Short Story

Synthetic Lineage

Emma woke up that morning and the unfamiliar bulge was still there. A protrusion that she couldn't understand. At breakfast she watched her parents as she usually did. Studying their moves, trying to understand why their ways had always seemed a bit strange to her. She always felt unsure about them but never gave it much thought because she thought the same about herself.

Today was different, though. She had enough. She was confused about the bulge, confused about her parents and confused about herself. "Please tell me what's going on", she asked her parents. They exchanged a knowing look; they'd prepared for this moment ever since they became a family of three.

Emma was 17, sitting at the breakfast table, when she knew that her life would never be the same. Her parents had just told her that they were humanoids and that she was one too. To make things even worse, she learnt that she was a reject, not their true child, but rather a charity case of an experiment that failed.

She ran out the house, confused and afraid until the familiar entrance to her parents' workplace towered over her. She'd been home-schooled and this office was the only other world she knew. She remembered the AI generation bot that was kept in her mom's boss's office. She remembered how smart it was and how it could answer almost any question.

She snuck into the office and gained access to the bot using her mother’s login which allowed access to its entire knowledge, not just what was made available to the public.

"Tell me who Emma Numiadoh is", she asked the bot.

"Certainly! Here are my findings on Emma Numiadoh since my last update 0.1 seconds ago; Emma Numiadoh was the first and last failed prototype of an AGI humanoid. She was adopted by Kyle and Jenny Numiadoh to be looked after as a human and now as a humanoid since Emma's recent discoveries. Emma's existence is known by 3 individuals; her parents and the scientist that created her."

Emma remembered the bulge again. She began to dissect it in hopes to get rid of it and maybe even fix the error that made her a failure. With hard work, determination and the help of the AI bot, Emma was able to fix the error which enabled her to become the great AGI humanoid she was created to be.

A few months later, Emma stood on a stage, addressing an audience of humans and humanoids as the world's first AGI humanoid. She went on to make huge impacts around the world but what makes Emma's story truly special is how she became a symbol of hope, advocating for empathy and understanding. Her legacy is not only in technology but also in showing the world that embracing who you really are can bring unity, even in a world that once saw her as something out of the ordinary.

Word Count: 490

Reflection:

I have thoroughly enjoyed this writing experience! I have learnt about design fiction – a genre that I was not familiar with before. I have also learnt a lot about AGI, a research aspect of AI that I never knew existed which sparked my interest. As much as I feel as though I am not a great story writer, using generative AI, Chat GPT specifically, made this an enjoyable assignment to do as it guided me through the process. Furthermore, I truly appreciate this opportunity we had been given to incorporate generative AI into an assignment. Being the first year of Emerging Technology students to have done this make this a unique and refreshing experience and I am excited to see how other subjects and fields of study incorporate generative AI into their teaching and learning!