The Agent of Connectedness
A paradigm shift for digital interaction
When the most recent edition of the ‘Ecosocial Design Partner Forum’ started at the University of Bolzano, there was a relentless three-minute timer and a room full of expectant people: about 50 people, 30 of whom were students with a thousand questions on their minds. While I presented the concept of the so called ‘Agent of Connectedness’, I felt like I had to improvise a lot to describe the needs of all those young people from all over the world. Gladly, everyone understood my idea of creating an Agent that would be able to understand your personal needs, collect information from your area and link digital life with analogue experience. The curiosity of those coming from different countries such as Mexico, Germany, Turkey and New Zealand took the debate to another level. Many of these students belonged to an Erasmus Program; therefore, they felt identified with the example that was used to describe the Agent since they’ve just arrived at a foreign country. It suddenly became clear to everyone that we can use technology to reshape and redesign how we fulfil our everyday needs with completely new methods that go beyond commercial patterns.
What is the 'Agent of Connectedness'?
Imagine you have just arrived in Bozen, Italy. You are from Turkey, you bring in your suitcase your homemade recipes and the illusion of entering a totally new culture. You want to live with someone who is open to try your food, you are looking for a cultural centre where you can learn more about local traditions, you dream of signing up for a bike riding course because you’ve never been allowed to do it in your hometown, and you want to find people who will help you feel part of this new place. Before, you would have used commercial platforms to find all of this. Now, you have the 'Agent of Connectedness'. She doesn't ask you what you want to buy, but what you really need. And then the magic happens: Maria offers you a room and she loves Turkish cuisine, Thomas organises group bike rides, an art collective invites you to get to know the local art... These are real people, genuine encounters and, in the end, the real connection happens face to face.
The Agent of Connectedness is a digital companion that lives on your own device. 'Aurora' -an artificial intelligence that works as a virtual assistant- understands your genuine needs and helps you meet them. The Agent creates a bridge between digital comfort and authentic human connection, helping you navigate both worlds with purpose and intention. Think of it as a technology that finally works for our well-being, not for corporate profit. ‘Aurora’ understands your lifestyle and your needs, and she’s also connected to other people in your area. If you allow her, she helps you to connect with a person with similar needs to your own, bringing the both of you together. This whole process trains you to share creative ideas in an easier way, facilitates authentic connections and shows the importance of balancing virtual moments with your real life.
How Can I Use Her on my Everyday Life?
The Agent of Connectedness experience starts with a conversation in which you express what really matters to you: your interests, needs or dreams. It’s important to know that the Agent is build as a chatbot; for this reason, in the beginning of your interaction with her, ‘Aurora’ says hi to you and she makes a little bit of conversation. Then, she helps you to shape your thoughts, making them clearer even to yourself. Afterwards, she asks you what your needs are and she explores your local community, looking for initiatives, groups and/or individuals that align with the needs you have expressed. When potential connections are discovered, ‘Aurora’ explains to you why each connection might be beneficial and she also clarifies its purpose. Then, she asks you which connection do you want to pursue and she waits until you have made the decision to establish the connection or not. Once you choose, she guides you towards another section of the platform, in which you have the chance to talk directly with the person you have just connected with. Although the main focus of Aurora is to help you meet your needs, she also makes sure that you are aware of your own capacities, so that you can offer them to someone else. This sets the stage for deeper relationships to flourish offline, beyond the digital realm.
Privacy and Collaboration: Discover the Agent of Connectedness's Bubbles
There are three main environments within the Agent of Connectedness: the ‘Us Room’, the ‘Me Room’ and the ‘We Room’. First, Aurora explains her role and invites you to explore her features in the ‘Us Room’. Then, when you want to share your personal needs, you go into the ‘Me Room’, a completely protected bubble that keeps your information safe. Afterwards, you enter the ‘We Room’, a place in which you’re able to send an open invitation for people to connect with you. Any connection request requires mutual acceptance; for this purpose, if you and another person agree to connect with each other, you both join a shared bubble known as the ‘We Room’. There, the both of you can exchange information, plan appointments and deepen the relationship.
The Transforming Power of Purposeful Connection
The Agent of Connectedness shines when you are going through life transitions: moving to a new city, starting university, exploring new interests or seeking community around shared values. It succeeds when it breaks through the bubbles of isolation that social media algorithms have built around us. It is when you seek a deeper connection or try to turn digital interaction into a tangible community that this approach is truly transformative.
Commons-oriented Technology - Putting the Collective at the Centre of our Computing Experience
The main foundation in which the Agent of Connectedness stands is the concept of Commoning. It has evolved from traditional practices and has recently been brought back and theorized around in modern times as an alternative to capitalism. It refers to the social practices and collective actions through which people create, manage and sustain shared resources (which are called ‘the commons’). Its main core is cooperation, inclusivity and sustainability. Furthermore, Commoning relies onshared resources, self-governance, mutual aid and decentralization. You can see this concept come to life on a daily basis through community gardens where neighbours grow food together, open-source software like Linux that anyone can freely use and improve, cooperative housing where residents share responsibilities, and knowledge platforms such as Wikipedia. Each example shows how people work together to manage resources, solve problems and build strong,supportive communities.
The Agent of Connectedness integrates the principles of Commoning to create a collaborative digital platform that goes beyond individualism. It promotes shared responsibility and it supports networks and resource sharing, creating a more resilient social fabric. It facilitates the co-creation of shared solutions, allowing its users to participate actively and democratically. It also encourages the creation of authentic links and mutual trust, increasing the commitment of each member of the community. Finally, it seeks to create an inclusive, transparent and service-oriented digital environment.
How is this Different from Social Media (Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, etc.)?
Social media was designed to increase interaction and capture people's attention. It has a central database that analyses your behaviour and it also sets up algorithms that decide what you should see. By immersing people in an individual space, these digital platforms succeed in isolating people from each other. This paradox -being more ‘connected’ and yet feeling more alone- calls for a different approach to how technology can actually help us address our deepest human needs.
Unlike social media, the Agent of Connectedness doesn't try to keep you online all the time. You are in full control of your data (you can choose which type of information you share with the people who wants to connect with you) and your experience (you can shape the bubbles in which you will move whenever you use the Agent). The way the Agent measures the success of a given interaction is through the meaningful connections that are created -perhaps even friendships for some of the Agent’s users-, the positive emotions generated by them and finally, by the authentic needs that are met in the real world. Also, the Agent of Connectedness is free from any commercial thought patterns, so it has an open source and it can be used for free. Nevertheless, if you are willing to, you could also support the developers behind the Agent of Connectedness by helping them fulfil their own personal needs 😊
Transformation Complete - Mission Accomplished
The Agent of Connectedness wasn’t created so we could rely on it permanently. She’s an educational tool that strengthens our ancestral ability to recognize others, empathize with them and form special bonds. Sharing the needs of other human beings and the people from future generations has become essential. The better the Agent works, the less we'll need it, since its goal is to prepare us to connect on our own. In the end, the Agent will abolish herself.
What Would the Next Steps Be?
We want to bring designers, software developers and ‘real people’ who are interested in eco-social issues together so we can build prototypes of the Agent and test them within different cultures. Our main intention is to create spaces where everyone whose interested in this project can join the conversation and contribute. The journey from consumption-based technology to connection-centric tools has begun, and your perspective could be exactly what helps shape this transformation in ways we haven't even imagined yet.
How Do I Join this Project?
We are looking for young people who want to help shape the Agent of Connectedness. Whether your strengths are related to design, programming, software development, dialogue writing, community building or simply bringing fresh perspectives, your contribution is important. The technical components already exist, what is missing is the reimagining of analogue and digital human interactions that only collaboration between people with diverse perspectives can create. We want our work environment to become an evolving ecosystem that is strengthened by each person who brings their vision and talent to the table.
