Interesting short paper that I had bookmarked a while ago. Feels like one interesting thread in a long running conversation I (like to think I) am having about computing and interdisciplinary dialogue.
The term “narrative intelligence” originated when two students at the MIT Media Lab, from disparate backgrounds, formed an underground reading group to try and develop a common discourse. This group lasted many years and drew in an eclectic mix of students, faculty, and guests who were interested in pursuing interdisciplinary work at the intersection of artificial intelligence, literary theory, media studies, and human-computer interaction design. Here we describe the history of the group, some of the ideas and texts that formed our discourse, and the lessons learned.
This seminar started 20 years ago, and while I feel like these ideas have penetrated our field in a number of ways, they still feel unincorporated in the professional side. It might just be my perception, but I feel like there is a persistent resistance to treating code and algorithm as text, or as a medium.
But this is also very interesting simply because it outlines the sorts of concerns and challenges faced when trying to bridge disciplines. Even basic things, like what sorts of information a discipline conventionally produces and consumes, can be a massive challenge.
Though perhaps most interesting to me because I am a wannabe in many of these fields, and sometimes the play between multiple fields that are over your head generates sort of a common denominator space that actually invites the layperson.