Bath, Corinna | Germany

Corinna Bath is researcher in the project “Sociality with machines” at the Department for Philosophy of Science at the University of Vienna since April 2004.

She studied mathematics and political science at the Free University of Berlin and has been research assistant in the computer science department and the mathematics department at the Technical University Berlin (1993-1995, 1995-1996), in the computer science department at the University for Applied Sciences Anhalt/FH in Köthen (1997-1998) and in the of the computer science department and the centre for feminist studies at the University of Bremen (1998-2003).

She is finishing her doctoral thesis on the co-production of gender and technology in computer science at University of Bremen. Her main working fields are feminist science and technology studies, gender studies in computer science, theories of computer science, transdisciplinarity and, at present, anthropomorphizing and gendering processes of emotional and social software agents.

Project at IAS-STS: Sociality with Machines. Anthropomorphizing and Gendering in Software Agent Research and Robotics

Over the past years we can observe a paradigm shift in computer science and artificial intelligence from machine-oriented concepts, algorithms and automats to ‘interaction’. While early approaches sought to model rational-cognitive processes and solve problems using formal structures, the emphasis is currently shifting to the users and the human-computer interaction.

Recently artefacts are conceptualised as friendly, understanding and believable partners that communicate ‘naturally’ with users and support them in everyday life. ‘Sociable’, humanoid robots are designed to take care of old or sick people. Software agents are expected to obtain information independently. In order to serve users and give them advice, they appear human-like on the screen.

Roboticists and software agent researchers aim to inscribe sociability, emotionality, personality and the ability to co-operate into artefacts. In the research project “sociality with machines” we analyse processes of anthropomorphization and gendering in a comparative study on robotics and software agent research. We investigate in the anthropological, ontological and gender impact of these implementations. Methodologically the research is based on science and technology studies approaches, on gender studies and on field work (e.g. interviews, comparative laboratory studies). In my talk I will present and discuss this work-in-progress.

Selctected  Publications
 
‘Social’ Robots & ‘Emotional’ Software Agents: Gendering Processes and De-gendering Strategies for ‘Technologies in the Making’, in: Frances Grundy (ed.): The Gender Politics of ICT. Proceedings of 6th International Women into Computing Conference 2005 (in print), with Jutta Weber

Sozialität mit Maschinen. Oder: Wie kommt Geschlecht in Software-Agenten und Roboter hinein? In: Dokumentation des Kongresses „Frauen in Naturwissenschaft und Technik“ in Zürich 2004 (in print), with Jutta Weber

Materialität denken. Studien zur technologischen Verkörperung. Transcript: Bielefeld 2005 (in print), edited with Yvonne Bauer, Bettina Bock von Wülfingen, Angelika Saupe, Jutta Weber.

Turbulente Körper, soziale Maschinen. Feministische Studien zur Technowissenschaftskultur. Leske + Budrich. Opladen 2003, edited with Jutta Weber