She/Her
What expertise will you bring to AI?
My academic background is in Equine Science and Psychology, often taking an interdisciplinary approach, with projects combining methods from construction and metal casting with biological science, and applying machine learning to a psychological research question. Outside of academia I have largely worked in adult education, from administration of in-person programmes to UX design of learning platforms and analysis of user data.
Research Interests
I am especially interested in how AI can be utilised in a way that enhances rather than diminishes our humanity - prioritising human connection, and engagement with both the built environment and the natural world. As a mother I have a particular interest in how this applies to education and childhood development, but the scope of the challenge is excitingly wide. Related to this, I am also interested in how we can use AI to assist populations who have historically been alienated or left behind by technology, thinking more carefully about how it can be designed in a way that accounts for individual abilities and experiences.
What made you want to apply for CCAI?
I have been interested in pursuing research in this area for a number of years, catalysed by the recent advances made in generative AI which seemed to open up many possibilities. I also believe studying such a rich and potentially impactful subject within an interdisciplinary cohort will lead to more challenging and productive discussions, fuelling better research and hopefully more exciting outcomes. The CCAI CDT therefore seemed like the perfect environment to explore my interests.
What are your ambitions for AI? How do you plan to change the world?
I believe AI possesses the potential to feed either our stronger or our weaker selves, depending on how it is implemented. I would love to see a world where technology supports us to connect with each other, develop healthy and expansive lives, and create things that truly enrich our experience and our world. It would, however, be easy to go down a path of least resistance that fails to honour the things we most value. I’m excited to engage with the complicated questions of how we design, build and implement AI systems for the true betterment of our societies and planet at large, and hope I can help move the needle in the right direction.
Contact information: yve.a.smith@northumbria.ac.uk
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