Exploring the Reflective Space of AI Narratives Through Speculative Design in Japan and Germany

This research aims at exploring how culture-specific narratives influence the imagination of future AI technology. Design professionals play a crucial role in this research context as they not only take part in the development of technology applications but are also involved in shaping public narratives about socio-technical relations as agents of public imagination. We examined how designers envision future societies and how future narratives as a result of design processes are reflected upon by an external audience. In Study 1, we rolled out three speculative design workshops in Japan and Germany with young design professionals. The analysis of the resulting design representations (artifacts) reveals that the relationship between human autonomy and AI-driven automation represents a central theme in the imagination of futures. Visions created in Japan draw from (pop-)culture-specific narratives, but also from governmental agendas. In projects from Germany, corporations lead the deployment of AI systems that alter society and social interactions. In a follow-up Study 2, we analyze the perceptions of created artifacts through a survey with 174 students from computer science. We identify loss of privacy, ethical concerns, governmental control, surveillance, and loss of free speech as main themes of reflection, which is in line with themes raised by designers. Students focus on societal impacts of use and aims of depicted applications rather than on AI as technical facet. Visualizations created in Study 1 appear to have a strong influence on the audience's impression of the depicted technological applications in Study 2. Although cultural differences regarding style of visualization seem to play a decisive role for creation in Study 1, they do not seem to have a major effect on participants' reflections in Study 2. Overall, findings from both studies contribute to advancing the understanding of design speculations in creation and perception.