Note from Joost about AI Co-Creation:
This article was created in dialogue with my co-creative AI sparring partner. It started with my personal reflections from the week. The AI helped identify a relevant theme, asked targeted questions to deepen the insights, and then drafted this piece using my input and answers.
While the AI structured and drafted the text based on our interaction, the core ideas, experiences, and insights are mine. I've edited the result carefully to ensure it accurately reflects my voice, perspective, and intent, turning raw reflection into a shareable 'field note'.
My aim remains to foster an environment where we can learn together, and to embrace curiosity about these new ways of working and the insights they can help surface.
A Future built on understanding: The role of human basic needs in technological and social innovation
In a world increasingly driven by technology, understanding and fulfilling human basic needs is more important than ever. Last week, Willem van der Maden defended his dissertation ‘Designing Positive AI’. His work made me reflect on how deeply human needs and technological advancement are connected. This article explores how Willem’s research shows that these needs are crucial in technological developments like AI, and how they align with the bottom-up approach as described in Floor de Ruiter’s book, ‘Bottom-Up’.
Willem van der Maden defends his research on ‘Positive AI’
Last week, Willem defended his dissertation ‘Designing Positive AI’. His research combines existing principles and methodologies with the rapidly developing technological AI world, emphasizing the importance of human basic needs in technological innovation. But why is this so relevant to us?
Willem shows us that the future of AI is not just about algorithms and data, but about the people who use it. This gives AI a new dimension, one that is not only functional but also empathetic and sustainable. The importance of this lies in creating AI systems that are both intelligent and socially and ecologically responsible, and that inspire us to learn more about and work towards improving our well-being.
Example from Willem’s dissertation:
A relevant example from Willem’s dissertation is the project “My Wellness Check”, an intelligent system designed to support the well-being of students and staff during COVID-19. This project involved 20,311 participants and was conducted over two years with seven iterative studies to improve the relevance of the wellness assessment. The system used an intelligent feedback mechanism to monitor and improve the needs and well-being of the community. By using community-led design and human-centered design methods, ‘sensors’ were created to measure well-being, ‘actuators’ to respond to these measurements, and ‘processors’ to convert sensor data into actions.
The AI-driven system ensured that real-time feedback could be given on the wellness status of participants, leading to targeted interventions such as counseling and wellness programs. Concrete effects included a noticeable improvement in the mental well-being of participants and an increase in the sense of connectedness and support within the community. A controlled experiment showed that the context-specific wellness assessment of My Wellness Check had a higher predictive value for overall life satisfaction than other validated wellness assessments, and that participants found the study more valuable and engaging.
The importance of human basic needs in technology
Despite the fantastic potential of AI and its already impressive results, Willem’s work emphasizes that safeguarding human basic needs is also crucial in technological developments. These basic needs, which prove to be so important in bottom-up processes, are not only relevant for social innovation but also for technological innovation.
Human Basic Needs
- Being seen and heard: This goes beyond simple recognition. It is about creating environments where individuals can express themselves without fear of judgment. This is essential for deeper connections and trust within communities.
- Ownership: Having control over your own environment and results promotes autonomy, motivation, and satisfaction. This is crucial for engagement and responsibility in common goals and resources.
In innovative processes, fulfilling these needs is fundamental to stimulating creativity and collaboration. AI systems that respect these needs create technology that is not only more efficient but also more human and sustainable.
The link between AI research and the bottom-up approach
What seamlessly connects Willem’s research to the bottom-up approach is the central focus on human needs. Bottom-up approaches, as described by Floor de Ruiter, emphasize the power of building processes and innovations from the community itself, with room for everyone’s voice and contribution. It is a reminder that technological progress cannot stand apart from its users; it must come from them, adapt to them, and fulfill their needs.
In Chapter 6 of “Bottom-Up”, Floor de Ruiter illustrates these principles with the example of farmers in small polders in the peat meadow area of Utrecht. These farmers are often in conflict with top-down government measures, but by embracing a bottom-up approach, they find ways to jointly address sustainability challenges. By pooling their strengths and discussing problems such as poor water drainage and deteriorating milk prices, they come up with concrete plans that go beyond government guidelines. They focus on long-term solutions, such as improving their infrastructure and implementing innovative farming practices, making their businesses more sustainable and strengthening their community.
This bottom-up approach results in a renewed sense of ownership and trust among the farmers. The process shows that by operating collectively and sharing knowledge, farmers are not only better prepared for future challenges but can also negotiate more effectively with government agencies and financial institutions. The case of the farmers in Utrecht-West illustrates how bottom-up initiatives can lead to sustainable changes that align with the needs and values of the community itself.
The importance of human basic needs in technological and social innovation
In the bottom-up approach, human basic needs are crucial. It involves engaging people in the process and ensuring that everyone feels heard and seen. It also involves ownership, where people have control over their contributions and environment.
By designing AI that respects these basic needs, we can develop technology that is not only functional but also promotes human well-being. This reinforces the idea that human basic needs are as important for technological innovations as they are for social processes.
How proper use of AI can positively impact bottom-up processes
A proper use of AI can also promote social innovations, complementing how social innovation is valuable for AI developments. The project “My Wellness Check” from Willem’s dissertation illustrates how AI can strengthen social systems by enabling real-time feedback and targeted interventions. Similar systems could be deployed for community projects around sustainability and the energy transition. This creates a synergy where both technological and social innovations reinforce each other, which I consider extremely valuable for future developments.
Conclusion: A future built on understanding
Willem van der Maden’s research shows that human basic needs play a crucial role in technological innovations, which in turn underscores the value of safeguarding these needs in social innovation. These human values are essential for creating AI systems that truly contribute to human well-being, as well as for developing social processes that continue to put people at the center.
Willem’s dissertation provides valuable insights into how we can implement these principles in both AI design and social innovation. His research is full of inspiration for future developments that do justice to our most fundamental needs as social beings.
How do you see the overlap of technological and social innovation? Where do you see opportunities? I am very curious about your thoughts, so please share them. You can email me, or respond in the comments if you are reading this article on LinkedIn.