APA Member Interview, Rida Jafar

Rida Jafar is an MA student in Philosophy at the University of Guelph. She is interested in the ethics and phenomenology of human-machine integration, with a focus on Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs). She also has interests in AI and robot ethics, especially when and where these intersect with cyborg ethics.

Link to your website: rida-jafar.github.io

What excites you about philosophy?

Whenever I’m conversing with someone on a topic, or observing a debate online, and I encounter fallacious arguments, sophistry, or muddled communication in general, I experience this friction in my mind that drives me to figure out where exactly the line of reasoning has broken down and why. Philosophy provides me with the tools to do that. If I were to describe the feeling I get from reading a well-written philosophy paper, it would be like having cool water poured over my mind; the heat produced from the mental friction goes away. The fact that this cooling effect can be applied to the topics I care about most is something I learned in an AI ethics course I took with Gus Skorburg (who is now my advisor). It was my favourite undergraduate class and solidified my enthusiasm for philosophy.

What are you working on right now?

I am currently writing articles that will serve as the chapters for my MA thesis. Overall, my research examines how concepts and perspectives from 4E cognition are being applied to ethical debates about Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs), and whether this application reflects the needs and realities of BCI users. In a recent commentary article, I explored what it would mean to operationalize the phenomenological concept of ‘transparency’ as a design goal for bi-directional BCIs. Right now, I’m working on a paper that explores the limitations of applying the Extended Mind Thesis (EMT) to neurorights debates.

Alongside my thesis work, I’ve been collaborating with engineering professor James Tung at the University of Waterloo to help him and his team navigate ethical challenges related to AI-enabled, non-invasive BCIs. This collaboration arose because I was initially enrolled as a student in the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence MA, which offers the unique opportunity to conduct an ethics audit. Although I later transferred into the two-year MA, I was able to continue this project. Recently, my advisor and I visited James’ lab, where we got to try out a non-invasive BCI headset (pictured above) and tour the robotics facilities. It was a really exciting day.

What do you consider your greatest accomplishment?

Due to a steep decline in my physical and mental health, brought on by chronic illness and other distressing events, I decided to leave school after the third year of my undergrad with no expectation of returning. During my time away, I got my health back in shape, pursued several autodidactic endeavours, and discovered an unexpected refuge in philosophy. Ironically, it was the COVID-19 pandemic that brought me back to school, as the shift to online learning made finishing my degree feel like a low and manageable commitment. Not only did I earn high grades upon my return (which I owe in part to the study habits I formed through self-directed learning), but I also added a philosophy minor to explore my growing interest in the area. I am now successfully pursuing that interest in grad school. Looking back, that turnaround is pretty impressive, and one that has given me a stable foundation for my self-confidence to rest on.

What is your favorite sound in the world?

The sound of water, in just about any moving form: waterfalls, raindrops, the susurrus of rivers.

What are your goals and aspirations outside work?

I’ve always loved making art and designing things, and there was a time when I wanted to pursue that as a career. But after I tried it out, I realized I dislike the business of commodifying my creativity. Since then, I’ve been making art purely for my own joy. Grad school, however, has made that practice hard to sustain. I find myself too busy to draw, and when time does arrive, I feel guilty for not using it more productively. Instead, I’ve had to compromise by channeling my creative impulse into research-adjacent (and thus guilt-free) outlets, like in the design of presentation slides and conference posters.

But that is not enough. Creating is like breathing for me, and limiting it this way is akin to holding my breath, something I can tolerate for only so long. What’s more, I don’t think of my art as separate from my research, as I explore themes of human-machine integration in both. Art is another medium through which I think and philosophize. There are certain arguments that can only be found and made in the context of a drawing. Thus, for me to do philosophy well, I must do art well.

Thankfully, this summer has given me the open stretch of time I’ve needed to draw again, and to establish a sustainable practice I can carry into the new academic year. I’ve also had time to finally finish building my personal website, the design of which I’ve been tinkering with for far too long. All in all, my momentum is returning, and I can hear myself exhale.

What’s your favorite quote?

Here are two I keep close:

“He has been called a thinker, and was certainly a man who was always thinking, and always thinking aloud; but it was not thought that fascinated him, but rather the processes by which thought moves. It was the machine he loved, not what the machine makes.” — Oscar Wilde

“It is seen in Milton, when, amid the deep solitariness of his own blindness and forced inactivity, he is enabled to console himself with the thought—‘They also serve who only stand and wait’” — John Campbell Shairp

What cause or charity do you care about most?

I care deeply about equitable access to implantable and wearable medical devices. While I’m currently writing about access in relation to BCIs, my motivation toward the topic began with my experiences as a Type 1 Diabetic. I encountered how transformative devices like insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) were, as well as the harms related to lacking or losing access to them. My first time being able to use a CGM system was because of a local charity-funded initiative to provide life-saving CGMs to individuals without adequate funding. This took place around the second year of my diagnosis, and that timing allowed me to shape strong habits early on. I am endlessly grateful for that initiative, and I hope to pay it forward one day. Until then, the best I can do is continue to write and share work that contributes to a better future for those who need and rely on such technologies.

 

This section of the APA Blog is designed to get to know our fellow philosophers a little better. We’re including profiles of APA members that spotlight what captures their interest, not only inside the office, but also outside of it. We’d love for you to be a part of it, so please contact us via the interview nomination form.