Harpreet Sareen: Cyborg Botany

Harpreet Sareen: Cyborg Botany

Author: Helen and Dave Edwards May 14, 2023 Duration: 48:44

We are deeply interested in the intersection of the digital and material worlds, both living and not living. Most of our interviews are focused on the intersection of humans and machines—how does the digital world affect humans and how do humans affect the digital world. This interview, however, is about the intersection of plants and machines.

Harpreet Sareen works at the intersection of digital and material, plant and machine, and art and science. His work challenges people to consider the life of plants, what we can learn from them, what we can see and what we can’t see. His art and science projects challenge us to wonder if we can actually believe what we’re seeing.

We moved to the Cascade Mountains to be able to spend more time in the wilderness. We likely spend quite a bit more time in nature than most people. Despite our strong connections to nature, Sarpreet’s work accomplishes his goal of encouraging us to reconsider this relationship, to consider what an increased symbiosis might be.

Harpreet Sareen is a designer, researcher and artist creating mediated digital interactions through the living world, with growable electronics, organic robots and bionic materials. His work has been shown in museums, featured in media in 30+ countries, published in academic conferences, viewed on social media 5M+ times and used by thousands of people around the world. He has also worked professionally in museums, corporates and international research centers in five countries. He is currently an Assistant Professor at Parsons School of Design in New York City and directs the Synthetic Ecosystems Lab that focuses on post-human and non-human design.

Learn more about Harpreet Sareen

Interesting links:

* What biodesign means to me

* Bionic plants, from PopSci

* Elephant project: Hybrid Enrichment System (ACM article)

* Elowan: A Robot-Plant Hybrid -- Plant with a robotic body

* Cyborg Botany: Electronics grown inside plants

* Cyborg Botany: In-Planta Cybernetic Systems

Most recent papers:

* Helibots (attached) at CAADRIA 2023, and related exhibition in ADM Gallery, Singapore

* BubbleTex at CHI 2023, and related exhibition in Ars Electronica, Austria

* Algaphon: Sounds of macroalgae under water (Installation at Ars Electronica, Austria)

About Artficiality from Helen & Dave Edwards:

Artificiality is a research and services business founded in 2019 to help people make sense of artificial intelligence and complex change. Our weekly publication provides thought-provoking ideas, science reviews, and market research and our monthly research releases provides leaders with actionable intelligence and insights for applying AI in their organizations. We provide research-based and expert-led AI strategy and complex change management services to organizations around the world.

We are artificial philosophers and meta-researchers who aim to make the philosophical more practical and the practical more philosophical. We believe that understanding AI requires synthesizing research across disciplines: behavioral economics, cognitive science, complexity science, computer science, decision science, design, neuroscience, philosophy, and psychology. We are dedicated to unraveling the profound impact of AI on our society, communities, workplaces, and personal lives. 

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Hosted by Helen and Dave Edwards, Stay Human, from the Artificiality Institute is a conversation that lives in the messy, human space between our tools and our selves. Each episode digs into the subtle ways artificial intelligence is reshaping our daily decisions, our creative impulses, and even our sense of identity. This isn't a technical manual or a series of futuristic predictions; it's a grounded exploration of how we maintain our agency in a world increasingly mediated by algorithms. The podcast operates from a core belief: that our engagement with AI should be about more than just safety or efficiency-it needs to be meaningful and worthwhile. You'll hear discussions rooted in story-based research, where complex ideas about cognition and ethics are unpacked through relatable narratives and real-world examples. The goal is to provide a framework for thoughtful choice, helping each of us consciously design the relationship we want with the machines in our lives. Tuning in offers a chance to step back from the hype and consider how we can actively remain the authors of our own minds, preserving what makes us uniquely human even as the technology evolves. It's an essential listen for anyone curious about the personal and philosophical dimensions of our digital age.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

Stay Human, from the Artificiality Institute
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