Digital technology seems to lead inexorably towards the concentration of power into a tiny number of vast corporations. As physical manufacture is increasingly digital and AI-based, will the same happen – vast factories of robots where humans remain only to sweep the floors? Is there any hope for the small company let alone individual craftsperson? The maker movement has led the way with open frameworks including open hardware construction, which extends into home automation for the enthusiast. How does AI fit into this picture? Will its exorbitant computational cost (and carbon footprint) lead to centralisation, or could it be used to enable smaller enterprises who cannot afford the army of engineering, design, technical and legal experts in a giant corporation. Many years ago, at a Tiree Tech Wave, we imagined a world of digital artisans, individuals or small companies that use digital fabrication to repair, modify or upgrade consumer goods enhancing local community and culture and increasing sustainability. Can we design AI that makes this possible?
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Parts of this work have been supported by the HORIZON Europe projects TANGO - Grant Agreement n. 101120763. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
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