For this assignment I chose the second option of using copilot to create a scenario based on a The Thing from the Future using a prompt from the google spreadsheet. I chose this because I did not use AI for the last assignment and I am starting to use AI more in my own practice. I am very curious about the future of AI and what it thinks about speculative futures.
I chose the following prompt from the google spreadsheet:
“Describe or narrate a scenario about a gift found two generations into a future in which society as we know it has come apart. Your description should address issues related to education and elicit feelings of decadence.”
Below is my prompt in Co-Pilot and the responding text written by Co-Pilot:
You said:
In approximately 500 words, Describe or narrate a scenario about a gift found two generations into a future in which society as we know it has come apart. Your description should address issues related to education and elicit feelings of decadence.
Copilot said:
Here’s a possible 500-word narrative based on your request:
Title: The Gift Beneath the Dust
The year was 2187, and the world had long since fractured into scattered enclaves of survival. Cities were husks, their glass towers hollowed by time and neglect, while knowledge—once abundant—had become a rare and coveted currency. Education was no longer a right; it was a privilege reserved for the few who could barter for scraps of old-world wisdom. Most learned only what was necessary to endure: how to purify water, mend torn garments, and navigate the ruins without succumbing to disease.
In the heart of what had once been a grand university, now a crumbling mausoleum of intellect, a young scavenger named Elara stumbled upon a sealed chest buried beneath layers of dust and debris. Its surface was ornate, etched with patterns that spoke of a forgotten era of excess—a time when beauty was crafted not for survival but for indulgence. She pried it open, expecting tools or rations, but inside lay something far stranger: a book.
The pages were yellowed yet intact, bound in leather that gleamed faintly despite centuries of decay. Across its cover, embossed in gold, were words she could barely decipher: Collected Works of Human Thought. Elara’s breath caught. Books were myths in her world—objects whispered about in hushed tones, relics of a decadent age when people spent years learning ideas instead of fighting for bread.
She turned the pages slowly, her fingers trembling. Diagrams of machines that no longer existed, philosophies that questioned existence itself, and poems that sang of love and loss—all spilled before her eyes like forbidden fruit. It was overwhelming, intoxicating. Here was a gift from a civilization that had drowned in its own abundance, a society that believed knowledge was infinite and eternal. How wrong they had been.
Outside, the wind howled through shattered windows, carrying the stench of rust and ruin. Elara imagined the world two generations ago: classrooms filled with light, students debating theories under vaulted ceilings, libraries humming with quiet purpose. That world had collapsed under the weight of its own decadence—too much comfort, too little resilience. And yet, in this fragile book, its spirit lingered.
She knew she could sell it for a fortune—enough to secure food and shelter for years. But as she read, a different hunger stirred within her: the hunger to understand, to reclaim what had been lost. Perhaps this gift was not meant to be traded but treasured, a seed for something new. In a society stripped bare, where education had become a shadow, this book was a beacon—a reminder that even in ruin, the echoes of thought endure.
Elara closed the chest and hid it beneath her cloak. Tomorrow, she would begin to read aloud to those who still dared to dream. In the silence of a broken world, the voice of knowledge would rise again.
Reflection
I chose this prompt after a discussion I had with my Grade 7-9 class about a novel study. I gave them the choice of about 20 books that I could get enough copies of from our District Resource Centre for a novel study that we will be carrying out in class after Christmas. Their task was to research the books and as a group decide which novel they wanted to study. I did not give any information about the books but there was a good assortment of novels (both long and short), graphic novels, non-fiction books and even a few poetry collections. Most groups just looked at the titles and chose one. This was after a lot of grumbling about how novels were so boring and not important to their future. I asked them who they thought books were for and they said little kids and old people. I was surprised. I know I have a few readers but they stayed quiet during this exchange. I did ask them if they planned to read when they were ‘old’.
This experience opened my eyes about what today’s youth think about books. It also made me think about what the actual future of books might be. In a world were TikTok and YouTube are so prevalent I am a bit worried about books. This assignment has really opened my eyes as to what the future might look like.
My first thought about the piece created by Co-Pilot was farfetched and I was surprised how dystopian the story is. I was surprised that the decadent item is a book and that education becomes “a rare and coveted currency”. It actually made me think of the world’s different education systems and how in some parts of the world this is not a story but a reality.
Another reflection that I had is this is actually going back in history to when books were first created and only the rich or selected had access to them. So I am not sure if this is predictive or if it is just rewriting what has already happened but in a new situation. I think that this piece connect directly to some of the worries that Harari (2001) raises about AI’s ability to split society into groups. The technology gap is growing and I think that AI could be the division between the haves and have nots. This could eventually expand the education gap as well which could ultimately be books becoming a decadent item.
This whole assignment is a reminder that knowledge is what is deemed to be important in that time and situation. Are we moving beyond books, I don’t think that they will see the end of books but I do think moving forward towards other forms of information sharing technology and genres.
References:
Harari, Y. N. (2017). Reboot for the AI revolutionLinks to an external site.. Nature International Weekly Journal of Science, 550(7676), 324-327.
Lab, S. (n.d.). The Thing From The Future. Situation Lab. Retrieved December 14, 2022, from https://situationlab.org/project/the-thing-from-the-future/
Microsoft. (2025). Copilot [Large language model]. https//copilot.microsoft.com