Are AI-provisioned research tools the ticket to supercharged research at scale, or overblown trickery designed to make us obsolete? Hype, pressure, and marketing aren’t helping us establish a grounded, productive approach to these new technologies and products.

A central capability of ethnography is the ability to adapt our craft with new people, places, and technologies. As AI becomes part of our social fabrics, organizational environments, and labor conditions, we need to create new possibilities for sensemaking with AI, while navigating constraints and resisting applications that devalue our work.

Michael Powell and Tara Schwegler cover:

• What are the essential ethnographic principles that will continue to drive value?
• How should we manage the intersecting reasoning models and cultural logics of AI, researchers, and research participants?
• How can we introduce useful points of friction that enable critical and cultural thinking, particularly in the context of market pressures on our work and AI research platforms that enforce specific workflows?

Speakers

Michael Powell, PhD, is Partner at Practica Group, a strategic insights consultancy. He has worked with clients and research teams in diverse sectors and industries, from mobility technology, health care, and consumer retail, to architecture, civic participation, and food justice. Previously he was a Strategist at the multidisciplinary design firm Shook Kelley, as well as an independent consultant and start-up co-founder. Michael has taught Cultural Analysis and Economic Anthropology at Rice University and conducted research across the USA and in Poland. Throughout his career, Michael has used interview methods to generate cultural insights and uncover the curious practices of everyday life.

Tara Schwegler is a Senior Lecturer at The University of Texas at San Antonio, where she develops and teaches courses on UX research, design thinking, women’s leadership, and the future of work. Previously she worked as a UX Researcher at Meta, a Lead Experience Design Strategist at USAA, and Co-founder and Director of Research Strategy at RedSquared Consulting. Tara holds a PhD in Anthropology, a Master of Arts in Social Sciences, and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Chicago. Her writing on leadership, higher education, and the future of work have been featured in the Chicago Tribune, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, and Inside Higher Education.