Researching Future Possibilities with Emerging Technologies and AI
Explored and visualized future scenarios for the human harmonious hybrid society 2050 at 99P labs: The Ohio State and Honda partnership
ROLE
Design, Research, Analysis, Presentation, Workshop Facilitation
METHODOLOGIES
Interview | Survey | Co-design | Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis | Speculative Design
PROJECT TYPE
Design Research
OUTCOME
Potential Ideas and Directions for Further Research | Future-Oriented Research Framework
COLLOBORATORS
Design Researchers | Chief Engineer
99P Labs?
99P Labs, supported by Honda and The Ohio State University, is an innovation hub in central Ohio focused on advancing mobility and energy solutions. As a collaborative ecosystem, it leverages customer empathy, data science, and business innovation.
During a summer internship, we conducted research with everyday people and professionals within 99P Labs, envisioning the future of AI and emerging technology in 2050.
Objectives
Space of our research
in 2050
Human
Robot
AI
By clicking on each step, you can view the corresponding phase.
•99P Labs
•OSU students
•over age 45
Analysis of all research activities
deliverables
Eachstep of the process either informed or inspired the step that came after it.
Research and Design Process
Preliminary Research
We conducted secondary research on various topics through academic and nonacademic publications, discussed 99P Labs' projects, and explored visual and video sources.
Generative
AI
Bias and AI
Panopticism/ Surveillance
Robotsand Sexism
Autonomous Agents
AI -Develop a technology for people - People Centered
AI and Aging
AI and Disability
AI and superintelligence
AI and Social justice
AI
Robotics
Anticipatory Design
Preliminary Research Main Findings
The preliminary research confirmed our initial hypothesis that the voices of everyday people were not being addressed in thinking and dreaming about the future.
From here, we took a human-centered approach, using co-design methods to explore the future with them.
First-round Interviews with Everyday People
We interviewed 13 people from across the US about their thoughts and feelings regarding technology, with a focus on artificial intelligence and robots.
Main Finding in First-Round Interviews
We learned that everyday people of all ages can readily express their thoughts and feelings about the role of technology in their lives.
Second-round Interviews with Everyday People
Main Finding in Second-Round Interviews
In the second round of interviews with 12 people from across the US, we engaged them in several different co-design activities to explore ideas for future experiences.
We learned that everyday people could generate ideas for the application of new technologies in the future when they were primed to do so.
Three Co-design Workshops
We conducted 3 co-design workshops with 29 people across 7 teams.
Co-design Workshops Agenda (2hrs)
By clicking on each Activity, you can view the corresponding activity.
Most of the co-designers were optimistic, hopeful and excited about the future, but a number of the professionals working in the field were pessimistic and worried.
Main Finding in Co-design’s 1st Activity
1.Robot Name-tags
Choose the emoji that shows your feeling when you think about technology in the future?
Some part of our data analysis
Icebreaker for group building
Warm-up
Each participant, including the Hybrid Future Society team members created a name tag featuring a robot and an emotion to express their feelings about where technology is heading in the future.
Main Finding in Co-design’s 2nd Activity
We were surprised by how quickly the co-designers were able to generate ideas! All the ideas generated were incorporated in the final analysis.
2.1 The Thing from the Future
Warm-up
Getting ready for for the design activities for potential future scenarios
The 'thing from the future' activity warmed people up to their creativity. They chose one card of each color and then generated an idea for the future at the intersection of the cards.
Main Finding in Co-design’s 2nd Activity
It was difficult to assign a team to the Planet First Worldview!!
The ideas they generated from the Thing from the Future activity did not fit here. It appeared that we are not used to thinking about the planet first and people second.
2.2 2050 Arup Framework and Team Selection
Participants, based on the framework designed by Arup, were tasked with selecting a worldview as a team. Subsequently, they engaged in co-design activities aligned with their chosen worldviews.
3.1 Future World Building
This activity was very helpful in getting each team to consider the broader perspectives for the worlds their personas would be living in.
Main Finding in 3rd Activity
The co-designers created 14 future personas: 7 males and 7 females (3 of them being robots). They were a diverse group but not as diverse as they could have been considering the materials that were provided. There were no older people or people with visible disability in the selections.
3.2 Future Personas
In the next activity, each team created two personas for their worldview.
We were careful to include both optimistic and pessimistic images for them to use in describing how their personas would live. But we left the choice up to them.
May Mallahzadeh ⏤ 2024
3.3 Future experiences /artifacts
Toolkit
In this final activity the co-designers were provided with a wide range of materials to work with.
They rose to the challenge and created an extraordinary range of ideas, having been well prepared by the previous activities.
Analysis and Key Themes examples
Range from optimistic to pessimistic
People
Living
Food
Nature
Adaptive design
Transportation
Government
Circular
economy
Citizen activists
Community living
Widening wealth gap
Urban/rural divide
Black and brown people disadvantaged
Living in small spaces
Condensed urban living
Living on other planets
Underground and underwater living
Living in cars
Local natural food production
Vertical agriculture
Synthetic food
Customized food
Survival rations
Animals have been freed
Everyone is responsible for caring for a tree
Synthetic trees are produced
Pollution and unlivable conditions prevail
Modular, convertible and extensible
Adaptation of houses, roads, cars and clothing
Old transportation systems are abandoned
Sustainable innovation such as MagLev
Old cars are used to house people
Sets carbon limitations
Not always a positive force
Reuse, recycle, repurpose, refurbish and regenerate
Sharing and renting
E-waste composting
Deliverable
If you're interested in learning more about this project, you can read our blog posts.
Due to the successful delivery and outcomes, 99P has extended their contract with our team, making this an ongoing project!
We analyzed the workshop data within each scenario and incorporated findings from the online interviews. This process underwent multiple revisions, and we leveraged AI tools for image generation, photo editing, and video production. The outcome was a video representing eight personas, wherein two personas represented each of the four future scenarios: People First, Harmony, Planet First, and Death. These personas told their respective life experiences and proposed future encounters. We referred to these descriptive proposed future encounters as “experience vignettes” — evocative depictions, accounts, or episodes about four futures, yet plausible, futures.
The outcome of the research was to inspire the staff to envision the possibilities for their technology-related plans and understand the aspirations and concerns of everyday people. By considering people's needs, behaviors, and dreams about the impact and potential of technology, the staff can better factor these aspects into their planning.
A glimpse of one of our vignettes in the Planet First future.
A shot from one of our personas from the Death Scenario, a “researcher of human life”, talking to the audience and telling her story.
