Task 12: 

Speculative Futures

Prompt: Describe or narrate a scenario about an implant found a decade into a future in which “progress” has continued. Your description should address issues related to the court system and elicit feelings of alienation.

Reflection

“Speculative design asks questions about the future and offers some alternatives that are essential for the world of today, but more importantly, the world of tomorrow.” (Mitrović et al., 2021, p. 69)

I was tempted to choose option two for Task 12 and have AI develop a scenario based on the assigned prompt. However, I decided to challenge myself to get more involved in the speculative design process. What I found interesting was how effective the exercise was in providing an opportunity to consider an alternative perspective of a plausible future integration of technology.

“Informed means that it’s not about making up just any alternative future, present or past but grounding this speculation in prior knowledge, emerging tendencies, existing technologies, and human behaviours.” (Auger, 2012, quoted in Mitrović et al., 2021, p. 74)

While drafting my script, I considered James Auger’s words, quoted in Beyond Speculative Design (Mitrović et al., 2021, p. 74). Coming up with a fictional scenario without connection to current realities or future possibilities would have been less challenging. I can see where having a solid understanding of the environment and the technology you are speculating about would result in a more effective end product.

References

Mitrović, I., Auger, J., Hanna, J., & Helgason, I. (Eds.). (2021). Beyond Speculative Design: Past – Present – Future. SpeculativeEdu; Arts Academy, University of Split. https://speculativeedu.eu/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Beyond-Speculative-Design.pdf