Collaborative Intelligence Internship (Generative AI & Meeting Goals - Design Prototyper) Cambridge 2024

The Microsoft Cambridge UK Blended Reality for Effective Workflows (BREW) workstream is seeking two (2) interns to explore opportunities around Generative AI and meeting goals. This ad is for a prototyping position with a design focus. For the other internship position, see the ad for “Generative AI and Meeting Goals (HCI and Behavioral Science)”.    

Ineffective meetings and lack of clarity of meeting goals were the top two problems for information workers according to the Microsoft Work Trends Index 2023. As such, our methods for designing systems that can adapt to the needs of a wide range of global organizations requires updating. In these internships, two interns will work as a pair to explore Generative AI-driven prototypes. Topics of interest include: meeting goal planning, goal-adaptive meeting interfaces, meeting goal experimentation and feedback, and related topics. 

We encourage applications from individuals of all genders and nationalities who are excited about this opportunity. We believe in the power of diverse perspectives and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

Responsibilities

The actual project to be carried out will depend on the balance of the two interns’ skills. The expected output of this internship will be: 

• A working prototype that demonstrates novel interaction techniques and implements behavioural intervention(s) (e.g., to support meeting goal planning or similar),  
• The opportunity for a publication in proceedings for relevant academic venues (e.g. CHI, CSCW, DIS, IUI, IEEE VR, IUI, etc.), and,  
• An internal white paper or document with design guidelines and best practices. 

Qualifications

Required/minimum qualifications

• Research and/or design envisioning, demonstrated though publications and/or a portfolio. There is a strong preference for work on collaboration and/or communication technology issues, preferably in VR / AR / MR or video meetings. 
• Prototyping skills using C# and Unity. 
• Experience prototyping or experimenting with Generative AI systems. 
• Methodological skills: 
• Qualitative: Interaction Analysis, Ethnographic observation or interviews, Cognitive Walkthroughs, Research through Design, etc. 
• OR Quantitative: Experimental and/or Survey design and analysis (experience in R a plus).  
• Experience conducting experiments with or using Generative AI systems through at least chat interfaces (including personal experimentation, but outputs should be tangible).  

Other requirements

• Work skills 
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills. 
• Comfort reporting on work progress. 
• Project and personal time management. 

Preferred/additional qualifications  

• Experience prototyping spatial computing contexts (VR, MR) using a Unity-based workflow. 
• Prototyping experience for multiplayer scenarios (e.g. Unity + PUN2, WebRTC, Microsoft Mesh SDK etc).