Love. The forgotten perspective for just and democratic AI futures.

By Meike Hardt, Nazli Cila, and Pieter Desmet

Addressing the widespread use of AI-driven decision-making systems in public spheres, we advocate for the integration of love as both a virtue and an affection within the discourse of participatory practices in AI development. love could play during AI design: An epistemological role to challenge the conventional knowledge structures in design by integrating embodied and experiential knowledge, and a political role to transform futures. We underscore the necessity for critical inquiry, recognizing both love’s potential to nurture relationships and its potential for perpetuating inequalities. By introducing love as a foundational element in AI design, we encourage a paradigm shift and challenge exclusionary mechanisms, with the goal of cultivating just and democratic AI futures.