Student Team Podcast Transcript: Smart Cities and Chatbots
This podcast is part of the UCIL Digital Society course from the University of Manchester. The topics it relates to are hosted on Medium and can be found here.
In this podcast, Kai, Samhita, Hafsah, Keira and Gabba from the Library Student Team reflect on Smart Cities and Chatbots in a Digital World.
TRANSCRIPT
ST 1: Hi everyone, welcome to the DigiSoc Podcast, I am Kai Prince.
ST 2: And hi, my name is Keira and we’re members of the Library Student Team.
ST 1: In Week 8, you discussed smart cities and the impact of technologies on where we live, work and play.
ST 2: Most of you emphasised how connectivity and technology make up the essence of smart cities and how the efficient use of these would optimise the quality of life and sustainability of cities.
ST 1: To me, the comments given argue that smart cities are more capable in allowing more people to engage in day-to-day activities by reducing burdens and providing multiple means of access.
ST 1: Regarding reducing the digital divide in smart cities, you highlighted the importance of introducing support programmes and public services to help people with accessing and managing technologies.
ST 2: Having access to technology and digital devices is necessary for day-to-day activities in a smart city. However, I believe we need to acknowledge barriers caused by traditional practices, resource management strategies, and socio-economic factors, like affordability.
ST 2: Many of you highlighted how technology could improve public transport efficiency in smart cities. There was also considerable discussion about parking and traffic. Do you think this could apply to Manchester? [31 words]
ST 1: I believe that Manchester could benefit from ideas like restructuring traffic systems and implementing parking sensors, especially given the difficulty in navigating the city centre and finding available parking spaces. [30 words]
ST 1: In Week 9, you discussed gender and how it relates to digital conversations and AI Chatbots.
ST 2: In analysing the WhatsApp chat example, many of you found it difficult to determine the gender. Whereas others concluded that the person using emojis and exclamations was female due to the expressive language and that the other was male.
ST 1: I found this interesting because, as a male-presenting non-binary person, my messages tend to be short and expressive with emojis, which slightly contradicts some of the reasoning given in the comments.
ST 2: We saw the opposite perspective when many of you challenged the gender stereotypes in response to Alan Turing’s gender construction of hair length, voicing that hair length is not an indication of gender due to various cultures and styles.
ST 1: I agree with the reasonings given but I disagree with gender being a social construct as that would imply gender is artificial or can be chosen. Many people can’t decide to change their gender identity and, as an agender person, I can’t decide to experience what it is like to have a gender identity.
ST 2: When it came to gender being about reading, everyone agreed that we all read differently, with some including a range of factors, including experiences and the social environment. Many of you also agreed that gender perception is shaped by these same factors and so we don’t all interpret gender in the same way.
ST 1: A considerable number of you disagreed with Turing’s logic of thinking being connected to ideas of gender, explaining that thinking isn’t bound by gender and that our society has shifted away from traditional societal norms. For example, there is now an increased presence of women in historically male-dominated STEM careers.
ST 2: After reading your comments regarding humanoid representations of AI systems, I believe that they can be helpful as they can improve user interaction, enhance empathy, and make technology more accessible by mimicking human communication and emotions. On the other hand, I also believe that they can be a danger by blurring the line between human and machine leading to ethical concerns, manipulation and loss of privacy.
ST 2: Thank you for tuning in to this week’s podcast and we hope you have a great week between now and the final podcast!
ST 1 and 2: Bye!
