Classmate: Natalie Keizer
Task 12: Speculative Fiction Task
Link: https://blogs.ubc.ca/keizern/speculative-futures-task-12/
When I read Natalie’s reflection, I noticed several areas where our thoughts on AI-generated speculative narratives connect as well as where they diverge.
I see that both of us explore AI’s role in reflecting human concerns and fostering imagination. My classmate emphasizes speculative design’s potential to create spaces for debate about societal concerns, while I appreciate how AI narratives push beyond traditional boundaries, enhancing creativity and educational engagement. We share a recognition of AI’s limitations, but where my colleague critiques its inability to truly open new perspectives, I focus on its ability to stretch imagination and provoke interdisciplinary learning. Additionally, we both touch upon the importance of human guidance in AI outputs, acknowledging the inherent biases and ethical considerations involved.
While Natalie’s reflection leans towards analyzing AI’s societal impacts—using examples like the Munk Debate and historical patterns of bias and power—I take a different route, focusing on how AI can act as a collaborator in education and creative exploration. My tone is more optimistic, seeing AI as a tool to foster critical thinking and debate, whereas my colleague’s perspective is more pragmatic, emphasizing its limitations in breaking new ground.
Overall, I feel our reflections complement each other well. Natalie’s societal critique and my focus on imagination and education create a rich dialogue that adds depth to the broader conversation about AI. Together, our perspectives contribute to the interconnected web of ideas envisioned by the course, showcasing how collaborative engagement can illuminate multifaceted topics.