Automation for the Artisanal Economy: Enhancing the Economic and Environmental Sustainability of Crafting Professions with Human-Machine Collaboration

Abstract

Artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to eliminate millions of jobs, from finance to truck driving. But artisanal products-(e.g. handmade textiles) are valued precisely because of their human origins, and thus have some inherent "immunity" from AI job loss. At the same time, artisanal labor, combined with technology, could potentially help to democratize the economy, allowing independent, small scale businesses to flourish. Could AI, robotics and related automation technologies enhance the economic viability and environmental sustainability of these beloved crafting professions, perhaps even expanding their niche to replace some job loss in other sectors? In this paper we compare the problems created by the current mass production economy, and potential solutions from an artisanal economy. In doing so, the paper details the possibilities of utilizing AI to support hybrid forms of human-machine production at the microscale; localized and sustainable value chains at the meso-scale; and networks of these localized and sustainable producers at the macro scale. In short, a wide range of automation technologies are potentially available for facilitating and empowering an artisanal economy. Ultimately, it is our hope that this paper will facilitate a discussion on a future vision for more "generative" economic forms in which labor value, ecological value and social value can circulate without extraction or alienation.

Authente-Kente: enabling authentication for artisanal economies with deep learning

“…In future work, our envisioned system will enable partners in Ghana to directly collect images of kente cloth and patterns. Generally, AI and associated ICT could be utilized as a means to create an ecosystem of services that enhance unalienated labor, sustainable feedstocks and the expressive values of cultures past and future, as we have outlined elsewhere (Eglash et al 2019).…”

“…And (at least traditionally) artisanal items were purchased in more thoughtful ways, often establishing a personal relationship between buyer and seller. In our prior work (Eglash et al 2019), we suggested that AI, robotics and other forms of automation, if properly designed and implemented, could gradually scale these beneficial systems towards the development of an artisanal economy. One small step in that direction might be AI guides that help connect consumers with artisanal producers.…”

Decolonizing posthumanism: Indigenous material agency in generative STEM

“…Out of this work we developed an “artisanal cyborg” approach to create human‐machine collaborations. This vision for a generative economy would keep labor value, ecological value and expressive value in unalienated forms throughout Ghanaian crafting, such as AI‐enabled digital fabrication, sourcing, and authentication that enhances craft upskilling, forest care‐taking, and consumer‐producer relationships (Eglash, Robert, et al ., 2019).…”

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“…Better understanding patient portal user characteristics may lead to future research on patient portals that uses a more design-or user experiencebased approach, which could enable better design, technology experience, and increased adoption. It also would be interesting to see future studies that explore using artificial intelligence (AI) (Eglash et al, 2019;Robert et al, 2020a;Robert, Pierce, Marquis, Kim, & Alahmad, 2020b) to capture patients' personality traits using a design science approach, which would enable vendors to customize their systems according to patients' personalities. Researchers have suggested that privacy and trust connect closely to HIT-use behaviors.…”