A weblog by Kars Alfrink.
I have a complicated relationship with AI discourse, especially of the online variety. On one hand, it s interesting to see where people stand. So I follow it. On the other, most of what circulates is what Lee Vinsel describes as hype and criti-hype: positions performed and rehearsed in what amounts to a pantomime that serves Continue reading On AI discourse
Six months since my last update. The pace hasn t slowed. Here s what I ve been up to and what s on the horizon for the next six months or so. But first, a very welcome December break. Happy holidays, dear reader. Happenings People s Compute at Goldsmiths: On September 18, I presented my research agenda, People s Compute: Design Continue reading Postdoc update – December 2025
This post is adapted from a talk given at The Politics of AI: Governance, Resistance, Alternatives at Goldsmiths, University of London, on 18 September 2025. The hidden layer When we talk about making AI more fair, transparent, or accountable, we typically focus on the apps and interfaces that people actually use. We ask: How can Continue reading People s Compute: Design and the Politics of AI…
Based on an invited talk delivered at Enterprise UX, on November 21, 2025 in Amersfoort, the Netherlands. In a previous life, I was a practicing designer. These days I m a postdoc at TU Delft, researching something called Contestable AI. Today I want to explore how we can design AI work tools that preserve worker autonomy—focusing Continue reading Reclaiming Autonomy: Designing AI-Enhanced Work…
Transcript of a talk delivered at LXDCON 25 on June 12, 2025. My name is Kars. I am a postdoc at TU Delft. I research contestable AI—how to use design to ensure AI systems remain subject to societal control. I teach the responsible design of AI systems. In a previous life, I was a practicing designer Continue reading Designing Learning Experiences in a Post-ChatGPT World
The following is a section from a manuscript in press on the similarities and differences in approaches to explainable and contestable AI in design and law (Schmude et al., 2025). It ended up on the cutting room floor, but it is the kind of thing I find handy to refer back to, so I chose Continue reading On the design and regulation of technology
I am over one year into my postdoc at TU Delft. Where did the time go? By way of an annual report, here s a rundown of my most notable outputs and activities since the previous update from June 2024. And also, some notes on what I am up to now. Happenings Participatory AI and ML Continue reading Postdoc update – July 2025
How should we think about large language models (LLMs)? People commonly think and talk about them in terms of human intelligence. To the extent this metaphor does not accurately reflect the properties of the technology, this may lead to misguided diagnoses and prescriptions. It seems to me an LLM is not like a human or Continue reading On how to think about large language models
At CSCW 2024, back in November of last year, we* ran a workshop titled From Stem to Stern: Contestability Along AI Value Chains. With it, we wanted to address a gap in contestable AI research. Current work focuses mainly on contesting specific AI decisions or outputs (for example, appealing a decision made by an automated Continue reading On mapping AI value chains
In my thesis, I use autonomy to build the normative case for contestability. It so happens that this year s theme at the Delft Design for Values Institute is also autonomy. On October 15, 2024, I participated in a panel discussion on autonomy to kick things off. I collected some notes on autonomy that go beyond Continue reading On autonomy, design, and AI
