Ethics and Power Dynamics in Playful Technology for Animals: Using speculative design to provoke reflection

French, Fiona; Hirskyj-Douglas, Ilyena; Väätäjä, Heli; Pons, Patricia; Karl, Sabrina; Chisik, Yoram; Nannoni, Eleonora; Zamansky, Anna; Mangat, Mandeep; Paci, Patrizia; Kasuga, Haruka and Vilker, Dana (2021). Ethics and Power Dynamics in Playful Technology for Animals: Using speculative design to provoke reflection. In: Mindtrek 2021: Academic Mindtrek 2021, 1-3 Jun 2021, Tampere/Virtual Finland, ACM, pp. 91–101.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3464327.3464366

Abstract

Technology (digital or otherwise) is a great enabler; it bridges gaps and opens doors and, in the process, alters the reality within which it and its users exist. As technology aimed at non-human animals is becoming commonplace, questions about its efficacy and the ethical implications of its use are becoming ever more pertinent. To explore these issues, we conducted a workshop in which speculative design was used as a means of debating ways through which play, a widespread phenomenon across animal species, can be used as a tool for enabling interspecies communication. We describe the context for this discussion, the methods used, and present a set of speculative designs that illustrate aspects of ethics, equality, and appropriate play in order to provoke further reflection and discussion.

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