"Technology has brought us a lot, but it has also disconnected us from our roots."

The Advisory Board of CIIIC consists of 21 carefully selected members who provide solicited and unsolicited advice to our program team on substantive main lines. As representatives of the IX community and ambassadors of IX in the Netherlands, they are crucial for the connection with the industry. But who are these members, what do they do, and—most importantly—how do they view IX?

In part 8, Mark de Graaf, Professor of Interaction Design.

Who are you, what do you do?

‘I am Mark de Graaf, Professor of Interaction Design at Fontys University of Applied Sciences ICT in Eindhoven. It is a wonderful job where different worlds come together: besides my scientific background as a physics PhD candidate, it consists of design research, in which I have been actively involved for 15 years at the TU/e in the faculty of Industrial Design, and educational innovation, which runs like a common thread through my life.

In non-Western cultures, 'I' does not exist separately from the people around you, and I feel the same way. I am in the relationships with my family, friends, colleagues. I also feel like a resident of this world, with a responsibility to take good care of it.’

Why 'immersive', what is your connection to new content/technology?

‘I am fascinated by the relationship people develop with the high-tech world. We live in exciting times, where technology transcends the level of tools and comes on par with us—or above. This requires a very different design of that relationship, much more human, much more intuitive. Immersive in combination with AI will shape this.’

Why did you want to join the Advisory Board, what specifically attracted you to the program?

‘There is always more than one reason. With CIIIC, we are going to give direction to the development I just outlined. It is important that we do this in Europe, with the intention of making society more beautiful. I want to be part of that. It's also a deeper dive into the world of designers for me. During my time at Industrial Design, I had the opportunity to collaborate with many different designers. I look back on that with much love. Incidentally, it is also just a very logical step from my research. Together with BUas, MindLabs, and a network of industry partners, we are conducting long-term research into 'digital realities' in the SPRONG program Digireal.’

What is your IX dream/mission?

‘That we make technology more human again. Technology has brought us much, but it has also disconnected us from our roots, our feelings, our nature. I truly believe that we can now make a move to bring our humanity back to the center, so we can connect with real attention, with feeling, to this overwhelming world and its inhabitants.

This can be done in many ways. Education and training in more than lifelike situations, playing with future scenarios of a city, where we can walk through the possibilities together, a river getting a voice and a face when we talk about the future. And so on.’

What developments in the field do you see that you think are important to strengthen and why? Or: what do you consider the most important development in the IX field (as part of the creative industry)?

‘The merging of immersive with AI is at the top of the list. I think it's very important that we start experimenting, learning boundaries by occasionally crossing them significantly. That we, and not big money, will direct societal value, and that is much more than money. That's why it's so good that we have the creative makers on board here, and that there is—quite uniquely—money for that. Often these are very small companies. They face the challenge of also scaling immersive for society. This can be done if they organize themselves even more intelligently, by forming creative 'swarm organizations'.

I know this from the graduates in industrial design: they have all developed specializations and know how to find each other very well, so they can tackle complex and large assignments together. This is happening now too, but I think this can become the model. Then, when talking to potential clients, you are even more a representative of your swarm than just your own company.’

Public values play an important role at CIIIC. How do you view this? Extra stimulating or a potential obstacle?

‘If we have the courage and dare to make mistakes, it is primarily an opportunity. I am convinced of that. Not only in Europe, but everywhere in the world, sooner or later, people will be fed up with all the privacy infringements and profit-driven manipulations. Business models like Google's are fundamentally perverse. It's all about making money, the algorithms maximize attention, not social values. Polarization, bubble formation, and fear are amplified by those algorithms because that's the most effective way to hold attention. We can develop sustainable alternatives. We can indeed prioritize social value and place connection above polarization.

The interesting thing about ethical issues in the field of immersive and AI is that they only truly emerge during creation. We’re going to define them clearly and seek answers.’

Finally, the Advisory Board provides advice – what is your message to the community? And how can they find and ‘engage’ you to possibly share their ideas with the community?

‘With all the drive, courage, and entrepreneurship already present in the CIIIC community, we can achieve a lot if we do it together. Seek connection, share your knowledge generously, and be curious about how your colleagues think and work. Think big and far ahead!

Knowledge institutions can help with that, and I can help with that. If you wish to discuss this with me, the very best way is through real human contact, for example, around an Advisory Board meeting. My contact details are: adviesraad@ciiic.nl or – you can also email directly to – m.degraaf@fontys.nl.’

Photography: Ben Houdijk