William J. Clancey is a computer scientist whose research relates cognitive and social science in the study of work practices and the design of agent systems. At NASA Ames Research Center, he was Chief Scientist of Human-Centered Computing, Intelligent Systems Division (1998-2013); his team automated file management between Johnson Space Center Mission Control and the International Space Station. His studies relating people and technology include numerous field science expeditions from the Canadian High Arctic to Belize and Polynesia. He is Senior Research Scientist at the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition in Pensacola. Read more on William J. Clancey here https://billclancey.name/index.html
Abstract
Using robotic systems operated from NOAA’s ship, the Okeanos Explorer, oceanographers are now able to explore the depths of Earth’s oceans, without leaving their homes. Unlike missions on Mars, undersea robots can be tele-operated, communicating without noticeable delay, and an international remote science team participates as the daily investigation unfolds. I conducted an ethnographic study during the American Samoa Expedition, focusing on how the two onboard scientists communicated with the remote scientists and the engineering team controlling the robots. What does their interaction reveal about explanation requirements for autonomous surveys of Mars or undersea on Europa? What kinds of explanations will unsupervised robots require from the scientists to conduct their journeys? How do these future needs relate to research on “explainable AI” today?