The Agent of Connectedness
A paradigm shift for digital interaction
When the latest edition of the Ecosocial Design Partner Forum began at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano -an event where students collaborate with external partners to develop hands-on projects for eco-social transformation- a relentless three-minute timer was ticking. The room was filled with people from various countries, may of them were Erasmus students who had just arrived in Bozen a few days earlier. I had the opportunity to introduce my vision of the Agent of Connectedness -an idea based on a simple yet profound insight: we can only fulfill our needs if we fulfill them together.
What is the Agent of Connectedness?
Imagine you have just arrived in Bozen, Italy, coming from Turkey with a few favorite family recipes in your suitcase. You want to really immerse yourself in your new surroundings, find a shared apartment with someone who's open to different cultures, perhaps finally learn how to ride a bike (something that was difficult for you at home), and meet people for genuine conversations. Previously, you might have turned to impersonal online portals to make these connections.
Now, the Agent of Connectedness —let’s call her Aurora— helps you instead. Aurora doesn’t ask which products you want to buy, but rather what you truly need in daily life and what skills or ideas you can offer to other people. Then, a magical moment arrives: a local student named Maria is looking for a roommate and is excited to try new dishes. Thomas from a nearby cycling club offers free lessons on weekends. Aurora might also point you to an open cultural event where you can meet local artists in person.
The Reaction at the Partner Forum
This scenario struck a deep chord with many of the Erasmus students in attendance. They had just arrived in Bozen themselves, feeling a mix of curiosity and uncertainty. For me, it was a wonderful success to see how my fictional story precisely reflected their own feelings.
How Does Aurora Work?
The Agent of Connectedness is a digital companion that runs solely on your own device. The AI called Aurora is currently in an early prototype stage. She helps you clarify your needs and create meaningful connections in your surroundings. To do this, Aurora draws on publicly available information and—if you allow it—recommendations from people you trust. She operates in a decentralized, independent and non-commercial way. Over time, this builds a shared body of knowledge about places, people and opportunities in your community —founded on trust, not algorithms.
How Do I Use Aurora in Everyday Life?
Your journey with Aurora begins with a simple, personal dialogue — whether by chat or voice. Aurora encourages you to talk about what truly matters to you: your interests, your needs or your aspirations. She helps organize your thoughts and figure out what you need at the moment — and what you can offer to others.
Next, Aurora makes suggestions: she looks for fitting people, initiatives or groups in your area — either via publicly accessible, trustworthy sources on the internet or through recommendations from people and organizations you trust.
Crucially, you remain in control at every stage. Aurora always asks for feedback and explains why she proposes certain contacts or opportunities. You alone decide whether they suit you, whether you want to follow up — and with whom. You also define which sources Aurora may draw upon.
In this way, Aurora supports you in resonating with your environment — free from external control, guided instead by trust, self-determination and an open dialogue.
Building Trust Through Resonance With Reality
Aurora compares your personal observations directly on your device with reliable knowledge from academic articles, recognized information platforms and local institutions. This helps you spot potential disinformation and gain a grounded perspective on reality. Yet you are not alone in this: other people in your network also share their experiences and insights. Together, you form a broader view of the world — not just one personal opinion, but a collectively held understanding.
Trust doesn’t arise from technology alone — or from isolated research. It grows through the interplay of personal experience, verified knowledge, and collective exchange. By supporting each other, we develop a more realistic, communal picture of our world.
Privacy and Trust-Based Spaces
The Agent uses a space concept designed to foster trust and clarity. Each space has its own technical foundation and level of protection:
Me-Space
Your personal, highly protected zone. Everything you express here —feelings, needs, doubts— remains solely on your own device. This environment is critical for opening up and connecting with your most essential needs.
Us-Space
A public meeting area, similar to a digital café or marketplace. People can encounter one another without revealing personal details right away. Interaction here is polite and respectful, enabling a first, lower-threshold approach.
We-Space
This arises only when both sides decide to deepen their connection — once trust has been established and they’re ready to share more. Here, collaborative projects can emerge, personal data can be deliberately exchanged, and relationships can be intensified. Technically, this is a particularly secure environment allowing a tailored form of cooperation.
Aurora’s interface helps you recognize at a glance which space you’re in —along with the appropriate norms, language style and openness. This ensures that trust is not just protected but actively nurtured— toward yourself and others.
The Power of Genuine Connection
Especially in times of transition —moving to a new city, starting anew or seeking a sense of belonging— the Agent can be a pivotal factor. She facilitates not just superficial relationships but true resonance with other people.
Aurora transforms digital encounters into tangible relationships and deliberately counters the isolation often caused unnoticed by algorithm-driven platforms.
What makes her so unique? She lets you act upon an inner need — so you’re no longer a passive recipient but a co-creator of genuine community. That’s the moment when connection sparks real change. It’s not technology that changes the world, but the people who find each other through it.
Technology for the Commons
The Agent is rooted in the principle of sharing —sharing knowledge, responsibility, and opportunities. Underlying it is the concept of Commons: resources managed collectively rather than owned —by everyone, for everyone. Like a community garden or an open-knowledge project such as Wikipedia, many people contribute —experiences, contacts, ideas— and everyone benefits.
Aurora upholds this practice by helping you connect with people who share similar values. At the same time, she invites you to become part of this process yourself: shaping your digital environment and actively engaging in a culture of sharing. Hence, a digital environment emerges that thrives on trust, openness and meaningful collaboration — instead of control, competition, or commerce.
How is this Different from Social Media?
Instagram, TikTok, Facebook —all aim to capture as much of our attention as possible. They analyze our behavior, centrally store our data and use algorithms to decide what appears in our feeds. While they make us feel perpetually connected, many of us end up feeling increasingly alone.
This paradox —digitally connected, yet inwardly isolated— reveals our need for an alternative approach to technology.
By contrast, the Agent of Connectedness takes a different path. There is no central database or advertising objective and success is not measured in likes or clicks. Instead of asking what you want to post, she asks what you genuinely need — and what you’d like to share with others.
Rather than drawing you into infinite feeds, Aurora helps you find yourself, truly resonate with others and return to the physical world.
Mission Accomplished - Transformation Complete
The Agent is a tool, nothing more and nothing less. She was created to help you better identify your needs, build trust in yourself and form stable, meaningful connections.
As long as these processes feel unfamiliar, she provides orientation —like a training instrument. Over time, you grow more confident: you learn how to express yourself, how to approach others, how to organize your daily life.
Eventually, you’ll no longer need the Agent—not because she failed, but because she was successful. What remains are people who trust themselves and one another enough to shape their connectedness on their own — digitally supported, yet grounded in real life.
Interested in this Concept?
Would you like to collaborate, try it out in your environment and/or help develop it further? If so, feel free to reach out! I’d love to hear from you :)
