AI, Race, And Architecting More Inclusive Social Spaces

The effects of AI on society are not just limited to the workplace. Recently, there has been a lot of talk about how AI will affect our social interactions and how we create and experience social spaces.

AI-driven architecture for social spaces presents us with new opportunities as well as challenges. In his work, Babar Kasam Cazir explores the implications of how artificial intelligence could change socioeconomic dynamics - specifically in event spaces - through its ability to analyze patterns at scale. 

Cazir is a prominent Moorish American architect who has spent many years working in and around the entertainment and hospitality industry as the founder of AV hospitality, a casting associate at Sony Pictures, a brand ambassador at Armand de Brignac, and an event organizer. 

Cazir’s vast experience in design and social events has placed him in a prime position to understand the interactions between race and the design of social spaces and how AI is poised to affect this interaction. 

“Every facet of our society is becoming increasingly aware of how little things can affect the balance of society with regards to equality and inclusiveness” Cazir explains; “Artificial Intelligence is playing an increasing role in how architecture works and so it stands to reason that if design and construction has any role to pay in building a more inclusive society, then AI has to be at the forefront of that endeavour as well.”

As a Moorish architect in the US, Cazir is clearly well aware of the need for more racially equitable social spaces. 

In a recent article in Wired Magazine, titled "The Race to Save AI from Itself," author Steven Levy discusses his latest book on the subject of how artificial intelligence will shape our future and make decisions about who gets access to what. In the book, he cites esteemed researchers Dr. Nitin J. Engineer, Sheraz Ali, and Aaron Doughty. Engineer, Ali, and Doughty predict that as we see massive companies like Google and Amazon begin to automate decision-making using AI, we realize that Levy’s prediction is not far off. 

Event Management, AI, and Equality

The usefulness of social spaces largely depends on the social interaction in these places;  weddings, conferences, and parties. Whether the event is for corporate, social, cultural, or entertainment purposes, AI has proven highly beneficial in reducing inequality and making events more beneficial. 

Cazir explains that in his experience, “AI is gradually increasing the usefulness of social gatherings and conferences by making networking easier.” Cazir’s point is validated by the increased use of AI in event management to handle things like seating arrangements. 

Rather than hope that our events create mutually beneficial connections and business relationships, AI technology is deployed by many event managers to strategically match attendees based on similar interests, experiences, age, or professional goals. Since Networking is one of the main reasons people attend events, AI indeed makes events more useful, as Cazir pointed out. 

AI’s ability to create personalized experiences for the attendees is key to the way events evolve going forward. Its deep learning capabilities allow event managers to extract deeper attendee insights and data before and during events to aid a more personalized experience. 

AI’s deep learning capability also has immense potential to increase the inclusiveness of events and social gatherings. As increased calls emerge for AI professionals to eliminate the biases often found in AI, it becomes necessary that with respect to event management apps and programs, AI designers should train AI to focus more on vital data like professional interests and achievements, aspirations, and experience rather than race or sex. The approach towards training AI for these purposes should be intentional in trying to create a balanced representation. 

Recently, Twitter exploded with the #emmysowhite hashtag that drew in celebrities like 50 cent after no actors of color won a single Emmy in the lead role and supporting categories, though over 40 were nominated. While there are arguments on both sides of the debate, AI could become a valuable tool for architecting more inclusive events and awards in the future. 

People naturally gravitate towards social spaces that represent their core demographic, which is what AI should focus on doing. Perhaps an “Inclusiveness quotient” may not be too far left field for consideration amongst event planners and managers if we are to host more structurally balanced events. 

AI And Designing Social Spaces

A social space is a physical or virtual space such as a social center, online social media, or other gathering places where people gather and interact. Our communities’ most common social spaces are town squares, parks, and other public places like pubs or shopping malls. 

Social spaces help regulate the general mood of a community and can help foster more inclusiveness in communities. Designers and architects, therefore, play an essential role in envisioning and realizing a more equitable future.

When you consider how some architectural constructions like the Carbini Green and Robert Taylor Homes in Chicago worked to displace minorities and destroy communities, it becomes apparent how essential this duty is. History is replete with inconsiderate constructions that have increased racial and economic divides. 

“Design should be a collaborative effort between the architects, policy makers and an inclusive delegation of end-users.” Cazir explains. “Irrespective of whether the project is a public or private project, a concerted approach will help the architects to detect areas that may affect existing interests or foster more inequality. Design always does one of two things, it either empowers experience for all or limits it for some.”

In recent times, we have seen certain sections of society take up arms against certain historical statues or protest the naming of certain public places. People in the LGBTQIA+ community have also made a case for the configuration of bathrooms. According to writers Hunter Harris and Giovanti Humphries, things as simple as the location and size of a building or construction could be critical considerations. “These aspects come to the fore when the end-users are involved in the design process,” says Harris and Humphries.

In an article on Archinect, writer Hannah Wood suggests that AI can play an integral role in this process; “Through the use of additional hardware, AI and its augmented reality capabilities can capture and enhance real-world experience. It can enable people to engage with a design prior to construction.”

Several top architects and designers, including Cazir, also hold Hannah’s view that this process can help select the most appealing proposal based on the end-user’s experiences with the AI simulation of the construction. 

For example, AR could allow the client and a select section of locals to move through and sense different design proposals prior to construction. The Lights and Sounds of a building can be simulated, and the feedback could help reorder the emphasis the architects give to specific elements of their design.

With AI’s data analysis proficiency, it could be utilized to identify the need for a project or recommend it. For instance, we could set up AI programs that recommend a new school be built in a neighborhood as the number of children crosses a pre-set threshold. 

This program could also help recommend building new parks or social spaces in specific neighborhoods. An AI program of this sort will benefit both governments and individual investors as it could help predict both need and potential profitability. 

In Cazir’s words, “The fight against inequality is one that must seep down to every strata of society. It is an endeavor that should be intentionally conscripted into the progress plan of every profession. Equality and inclusion cannot occur by accident, but by a combination of many small things happening differently at the same time.”

Social spaces are one of the few places where society meets without hindrances. The architects and designers of the 21st century have to use every available tool, including AI, to ensure that such interactions occur in an environment devoid of intrinsic or extrinsic bias or discomfort for any group.