Social AI for engaging Ubicomp

This short paper introduces the concept of Social AI as pivot technology between the two visions of Weiser’s “calm” and Rogers’s “engaging” UbiComp technologies. We discuss three types of AI solutions, Personal AI, System AI and Social AI, in relation to their interaction with ubiquitous technologies and humans. We highlight as Personal and System AI are the perfect users of calm technologies, while Social AI instantiates the vision of engaging Ubicomp. We elaborate the concept of Social AI as a technology for navigating the dual complexity of social systems and operating in synergy with humans without eroding their agency and by seeking their support through communication. We conclude by envisioning an entangled future between the research agenda on Social AI and engaging Ubicomp.