Governed by algorithms. Finally.

A new era has begun. Governments and justice courts finally have entirely been replaced with AI-based systems. Previous problems of human bias and corruption thus belong to the past. Every citizen is, for their own safety and for everyone's, eligible for algorithmic supervision during their time awake. The system is designed according to the human values of transparency, happiness, productivity, fairness, and individuality. Humans can be selfish. Our system can't.

Welcome to the future.

The Transparency Bracelet

Transparency is important to us. Therefore, we are happy to inform you that every citizen will receive a Transparency Bracelet soon, at zero cost. It will inform you about changes to your societal value instantaneously. Contribute to society and you will see a green flash: your deed has been recognized and your societal value has increased. If you see a red flash, your action was evaluated negatively. Do not hesitate to contact citizen services if you have any questions.

The Happiness Patch

We all have good days and bad days. But why suffer through unhappiness when there is an easier way? We're happy (and so will you be) to announce that every citizen will receive a Happiness Patch at no cost: a smart device that painlessly connects to your blood system, providing you with a happiness boost (a small, non-addictive shot of dopamine) just seconds after something made you frustrated, sad, or even angry. Providing happiness to all citizens is what we strive for.

The Productivity Chair

Nothing feels better than being productive. We want to help you to be in the ‘zone’ as often as possible. That is why all computer workspaces in our society will shortly be devised with a Productivity Chair, free of charge. While highly ergonomic in its standard mode, it will become uncomfortable and, eventually, collapse underneath its user if the detected activities are being categorized as unproductive. Quickly, your brain will learn to stay focused, enabling you to be meaningfully productive without the urge to distract yourself.

The Fairness Basket

We breathe and live fairness, it's at our heart. Likewise, we strive to make human life on earth sustainable. That's why we decided to equip all supermarkets with Fairness Baskets. As soon as you express your intent to buy a product (for example, by picking it up or by touching it), its handle will display your personalized, state-subsidized price for it. This will help you to conveniently find the products that match your taste, your wallet, and your societal value. To increase your societal value, just be yourself and actively contribute as much as you can. Your efforts will not remain unrewarded.

The Individual Voting Machine

Our society needs to evolve continuously. That's why we crave your opinion. We developed a new, continuous voting system that rewards every citizen's contributions to society with voting rights. As you approach the voting machine, you will be given a number of marbles, depending on your societal value. Every marble can be used to vote for ‘yes’ or ‘no’ for any of the societal decisions displayed on the device. Every citizen counts, and so does every vote.

This project was conducted at the Industrial Design department at the University of Wuppertal.

It was the goal of this project to show a dystopian future, sensitizing people to undesirable futures while stimulating a discussion about what they wish the future to be like.

What if we had parliaments run by algorithms? What could be better than today, what could be worse?

Join the discussion at #aicracy.

aicracy

Transparency Bracelet
by Piet Becker

Happiness Patch
by Alexander Görts

Productivity Chair
by Christopher J. Weld

Fairness Basket
by David Hrlic

Individual Voting Machine
by David von Netzer

Cinematography,
Photography and Editing
David Hrlic

Supervision
Fabian Hemmert

Contact

We'd love to hear your opinion. Please do not hesitate to get in touch.

University of Wuppertal
Industrial Design
Prof. Dr.-Ing. Fabian Hemmert
Gaußstraße 20
42119 Wuppertal

+49 (0) 202 439-5764
hemmert@uni-wuppertal.de

www.uwid.de





Press Kit