Documentation The Machine - Celestin Albers

Prototyping Interactivity
One crucial aspect of the project was ensuring
it had a high level of interactivity. I
envisioned incorporating interactivity in the
following ways:
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Data Contribution: Users would become part of
the project by providing their data to 'sign
up,' effectively signing away the rights to
this data in the process.
Data Transactions: Users would actively
participate in 'buying' other users' data,
creating a dynamic exchange of information
and a conversation starter for the audience.
After testing an initial prototype with a test
audience, I realized that more interactivity was
needed to enhance user engagement. Consequently,
I introduced an additional interactive element:
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Conversational Interaction: Users would be
able to talk to the machine. The machine, in
turn, would discuss the food it offers, the
topics I researched for my position paper,
and the role of technology in the user's
life.
The second prototype, incorporating this new
interactive conversation feature, was much
better received. Interestingly, the AI voice I
crafted often provided hilariously inaccurate
responses, such as "Yes, we do serve stir fry"
and "No, I am a real human". I decided to retain
the AI's flaws because they added an additional
layer to the enshitification process. This
choice underscores a critical commentary: be
prepared to see broken AIs replacing cashiers at
restaurants in the near future.
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