Imagining and infrastructuring desirable futures with humans in the loop. Human computation and hybrid intelligence as counter-imaginaries to artificial general intelligence

This chapter examines human computation (HC) and hybrid intelligence (HI) as counter-imaginaries to media-prominent narratives of artificial general intelligence (AGI). Unlike AGI, which aims to replicate or surpass human capabilities, HC and HI focus on integrating human strengths with artificial intelligence (AI) technology to address ethical concerns and current technological limitations. Based on ethnographic fieldwork and media analysis, it discusses the examples of the Center for Hybrid Intelligence at Aarhus University and the Human Computation Institute in Ithaca, NY. The paper explores perceptions, visions, and debates surrounding hybrid AI. It analyses how the imaginaries of future hybrid systems are legitimised and materialised through various forms of infrastructuring. The chapter concludes by highlighting the potential of ethnography in studying and understanding hybrid AI developments.