Animal Technology with Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas

Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas is Lecturer/Assistant Professor in Animal-Computer Interaction at The University of Glasgow in Scotland (UK). Her research explores how animals interact with computer systems and how to designing and build methods to capture this interaction. She is interested in exploring what it means for animals to interact with technologies and how we can create, design, and support meaningful exchanges between humans, animals, and technology. Examples of my work include a DogPhone systems for dogs to communicate over the internet and a Monkey Tunnel system for monkeys to play videos and audio whenever they choose. Ilyena got her Masters and a PhD degree in Computer Science from the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) (UK) and undertook a three year postdoc at Aalto University (FI). She publishes primarily in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and animal science in top conferences/journals such as CHI, IJHCS, CSCW, ISS, Animals, etc. My research is regularly featured in international news, radio and TV broadcasts such as The BBC, The Guardian, New Scientist, Wired Magazine, The New York Times, Huffington Post among others. Source: https://ilyena.com/ In this podcast, Chetana explores what an internet for animals would look like, how and why you might design technology for monkeys, and whether animals can use technology with awareness.

Om Podcasten

Questioning established frameworks. Why do we want robots? What about the ethics of new technologies? What is privacy? What is valuable? What role does intuition play in science? What is knowledge? And how do we obtain knowledge? What is morality? What does ‘evolution’ mean? How do new technologies influence our norms of social interaction? What does science say about religion? How does religion deal with science? What is AI and can we speak of cognitive computers? Can we gather new insights into the world through art? Which role does art play in producing knowledge? What is intelligence? And how should we consider the intelligence of animals and plants? Do animals have emotions? Are we hard-wired beeings? Does the world really change at a faster pace? What do the terms ‘sustainability’ and ‘innovation’ actually mean? What does it mean to be human? What are the consequences of my actions? Asking questions can provide access into gaining insight. In many areas, too few questions are asked, or a subject is merely discussed unilaterally. Future Based wants to organize discussions with experts in their field to ask critical questions. Not to necessarily find straight answers, but to formulate more specific questions, and to foster a deeper understanding of the world we live in. After all, the world is constantly changing. Nevertheless, there is a tendency to forget the importance of reflecting on how the world is changing, and in particular what the consequences of these changes might be. Future Based Podcast addresses issues ranging from the natural sciences and philosophy to art, technology and economics; a different subject will be highlighted in every podcast. We will engage in discussions with academics, field specialists and experiential experts.