Shakti is a digital design genie (DDG) based in NYC. She can design all the things, and enjoys working at the intersection of design and product. She holds a BSc in Applied Psych, and much of her work at Parsons lies at the intersection social communication + tech. She is super picky, but has zero standards when it comes to food. Go figure.

This project envisions a future where people not only have AI companions, but also get to matched with them based on their attitude and emotional reaction during the first interaction. The world around us is rapidly being powered by algorithmic decision making: from what multimedia content is relevant for us to see, what tv shows we should watch, to who we should add as friends to our professional networks. In another part of the world, algorithms are used by the NSA to filter “terrorists” for lethal drone strikes. If algorithmic processes are robust enough to assist with life and death decisions, can they also help us in our social lives to detect whether we shared a meaningful connection with a “stranger”? Can they be a good judgement of who we should associate with and who we shouldn’t? This project seeks to raise questions about what futuristic digital systems and experiences that guide and shape our behavior look like, and how far we are willing to let technology assist us.