In-form-ing AI through Metaphors: Shaping Relations to Conversational Agents

Giving form to AI devices shifts the metaphors we use during interaction and the possibility to shift the way we develop computational models. In this workshop paper, we reflect on the relationship between metaphors used for AI interaction through an exploration of a tangible prototype of a conversational agent (CA). We provide a demo of the CA prototype in the form of a rotary-dial telephone with Google Assistant's functionality. We invite the workshop participants to consider how the interplay between the underlying narratives of the metaphors and the tangible forms used when designing graspable AI systems will shape how we interact with them and by extension our relationship with our homes.