Complex Considerations
Asynchronous Session
Law and the Skyscraper: An Examination of the Complex Relationship View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Robert Greenstreet
Skyscrapers are usually discussed in terms of architectural design or the technology which enables them to be built. However, there is a third variable which significantly affects their development which is seldom considered, which is the vehicle of Law. Law creates a powerful yet invisible web of constraints that shapes architecture as surely as architectural theories and technologies. This is particularly relevant to tall structures which, due to the heightened concerns associated with fire, means of escape and structural collapse, have been the focus of the most restrictive controls. While health and safety concerns are justified – the Grenfell Tower fire is a grim reminder of the consequences of lax regulation and inspection – codes tend to be developed on an ad hoc basis in reaction to a disaster or pressure group rather than as part of an overall plan to create a long-term, sustainable urban environment that integrates the advantages of high-rise development. As such, their collective impact is not fully understood. The purpose of this paper, therefore, is to examine the complex relationship between law and architecture with particular focus on the skyscraper. By examining historical and international data, the extent of the impact (both positive and negative) can be assessed. Issues such as height, configuration, massing, appearance and even location can provide the foundation for a broader, discussion as to how legal frameworks can evolve to meet the demands of the future within a sustainable, safe and healthy environment.
The Future Is Universal, the Future Is Integral: The Case for an Integral-design Based Framework for Artificial Intelligence Ethics and Education View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Sandra Alexander
There are numerous connections between the principles of Integral Human Development (IHD) and universal design (also known as inclusive design) that make these concepts important reference points for those studying and developing artificial intelligence (AI) today. Although rooted in different schools of thought – Catholic social teaching and product/environmental design, respectively – both concepts emphasize the equal dignity of all persons; that this dignity has both subjective and social dimensions; and that a concern for the technologies used to support human flourishing has been a longstanding objective and not simply a modern invention. For students and professors working with AI these concepts merit serious reflection given the myriad ways in which AI has, and will have, an almost incalculable impact on the quality of human life. The objective of this paper is to reflect on the intersections between AI development and ethics education across universities in the ‘future-forward’, AI-intensive society of the United Arab Emirates. Likewise, this paper considers the prospect of using a framework based on universal/inclusive-design and IHD perspectives in AI ethics and education. The conclusion reached thus far is that, given the UAE’s self-description as a ‘future-forward’, society which endeavors to benefit all of its citizens through the development and implementation of AI-powered services, an approach to ethics and engineering education should be embraced which centers on universal-design and IHD principles with their inherent recognition of human dignity and their advocacy of technologies which support it.
Flipping the Script: Opportunities, Challenges, and Threats of a Digital Revolution in Higher Education View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session James P. Takona
In a world that is experiencing sharp digital transformations guided by digital technologies, the potential of technology to drive transformation and evolution in the higher is apparent. Higher education is facing a paradigm shift that exposes susceptibilities and threats to fully online programs in the face of post-COVID-19 trends of commodification. This historical moment is likely to be remembered as a critical turning point from analog to digital degree-focused learning modalities, where the default became the pivot point of competition between higher education institutions. Fall 2020 marks a significant inflection point in higher education as students, educators, and government leaders scrutinize higher education's price and value propositions through the new lens of traditional lecture halls versus multiple digitized delivery modes. Online education has since tiled the way for a pedagogical shift in how teachers teach and students learn. The incremental growth of online education in the west can now be attributed to the increasing patronage among students, faculty, and institution administrators. More often than not, college instructors assume paraclete roles in this learning mode, while students become active collaborators and no longer passive learners. This paper offers valuable discernment into the threats, challenges, and opportunities of a massive digital revolution in servicing degree programs.
Technology as Demiurge: A Brief History of Plastic View Digital Media
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Jakub Bandoch
Technological innovation is discussed in various ways in the social sciences. The impact that technologies have on shaping social relationships began to be recognized many years ago, and with the increasing pace of technological development, such discussions are increasingly relevant. However, when examining any particular innovation, it is good to keep in mind the broader context of its emergence, as otherwise incorrect conclusions may be reached. In my study, I show that with knowledge of the genesis of a particular innovation, its development, its adaptation, its negative consequences, and the institutional and social response to it, it is possible to retrospectively understand the causes that have influenced the formation of a particular fragment of social reality. Such knowledge, in turn, is already some sort of starting point for similar analyses concerning recent technological discoveries. Theory is helpful in systematising such analyses, which is why I propose the introduction of first-order technology categories. Its primary function is to identify turning points in the shared history of technological development and society in general. I am interested in developing a theoretical tool that will also enable such identification in the here and now, in relation to discoveries that are newly implemented into the social fabric. I discuss the category of first-order technology using the history of the invention and social adaptation of plastic as an example; I show how this material has contributed to the development of consumer society and how it will affect society in the future.
