Calm Technology and the History of AI
summary
A clear claim: the term “AI” was coined partly to dodge cybernetics, and a better path is calm technology that stays in peripheral attention. A tangible outcome is an 81-point certification across six categories (attention, durability, graceful degradation, light, sound, materials) run by the Calm Tech Institute and applied to devices like the Airthings Wave (auto-filtering CO2/VOC sensor) and travel alarm clocks. Evidence cited: high CO2 cuts decision‑making by about 50%, and certified products demonstrate quieter, pass‑through behavior in real use.
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chapters (16)
- 0:00Introduction and welcome
- 1:06Ward Cunningham and wikis
- 4:13History of the term AI
- 9:08Dartmouth conference and early AI promises
- 11:15Victorian era tech fears and analogies
- 14:03Design as governance and user experience
- 19:18Cyborg anthropology and time perception
- 22:05Marshall McLuhan and tool design
- 23:51Tools in harmony with nature
- 24:53Japanese concept of omotenashi
- 27:18Calm technology principles
- 36:27Governance and feedback in tech
- 39:56Calm Tech Institute and certifications
- 42:01Conclusion and future of calm tech
- 43:23Q&A: Reframing AI language
- 48:43Q&A: Software tool transparency
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