8 min. lightning talk
What is the language of the Internet of Things? This talk will explore the challenges faced in the communication between the devices in our home and lives, considering the necessary standards, but also more human requirements, such as the need to express complex thoughts and emotions.

Connected devices
Artificial intelligence

As information architects and UX designers, we work with language to structure and shape information, we use language to align stakeholders expectations and facilitate the decision process, we rely on language when we input our data and overall in the communication with our devices. When talking about connected devices, emergent paradigms such as the disappearance of the UI as we know it, the interconnectivity between the different devices and the introduction of AI will pose more and more challenges to the way we communicate with our devices.

These challenges sit on different levels: How can we find a common language that allows us to speak to a distributed network of devices in a seamless and effective way? How will the devices communicate among themselves and on what extent their communication will be intelligible and accessible to us? Will AI and adaptive learning change the nature of our communication with the devices around us, moving from a strictly pragmatic and functional language to a communication that allows expression of feelings and complex thoughts? On what extent these changes will affect the language that we commonly speak?

This talk will explore some of the main challenges in the communication with and within a network of connected devices, trying to envision thought provoking future scenarios in which our machines will write love letters on our behalf or will suggest us how to spend our evening taking into account traffic information, the food we have in the fridge and the appointments of the following working day.