The Digital Future has arrived but continues to evolve, constantly shaped by the imagination and innovation of today’s designers. This theme explores the transformation of the Digital Future through a curated selection of diverse, interactive artefacts. These projects explore the critical skills, human and non-human agencies, and pressing concerns that are shaping our world—elements that are not only vital today but will become even more essential as we move forward into the next phase of the Digital Future. The mini-exhibition and participatory panel discussion blend experiential learning with forward-thinking design, offering a platform for dialogue and exploration.
The project Absurdist Chatbots invites users to rethink the growing belief that AI can solve societal problems through surreal and exaggerated chatbot design, pushing designers to reconsider how AI should be created and what its true societal purpose might be. This project sets the stage for the Digital Future theme by challenging the prevailing view that AI is an all-purpose problem-solving tool. It encourages designers to ask: How should AI be designed, and what should its true role in society be?
Following this critique, Claude envisions a future where individuals take control of their personal data by hosting it at home instead of relying on large tech corporations. Offering a decentralized server system, this project empowers users to protect their privacy in a world increasingly dominated by centralized digital systems. By reclaiming control of privacy, it emphasizes that a future where individuals have greater power over their own data is not only possible but essential.
As AI increasingly takes on creative roles, Made by Humans explores how designers must adapt in an AI-driven world. It highlights the ethical challenges of relying too much on AI in creative processes, urging designers to balance human creativity and autonomy with the benefits offered by AI. This project transitions the narrative from critique to reflection, emphasizing that designers play a crucial role in shaping how AI is integrated into creative work.
The Artificial Intelligence Discovery Toolkit (A.I.D.T) takes the narrative a step further by preparing the next generation for an AI-driven future through interactive, gamified learning. By fostering curiosity about emerging technologies, this project equips the next generation with the foundational literacy needed to shape the future. This project extends the conversation into the realm of education, suggesting that designers can shape foundational AI literacies to inspire future innovators and support a more informed and ethical digital future.
Building on concepts of education and societal roles, the probe project explores AI’s social roles in the context of automated vehicles (AVs). Specifically, this project uses role-playing to understand how AVs interact with other road users in future traffic ecosystems. By immersing participants in the role of AVs, the project reveals the ethical and social complexities of autonomous driving and explores how AVs can integrate into public spaces.
Prompting Realities moves the narrative into more speculative and imaginative territory by pushing the boundaries of large language models (LLMs). This project extends AI beyond screen-based interactions into physical spaces, enabling users to control and manipulate everyday objects through conversational prompts. This project empowers individuals by giving them the ability to shape their environments with AI-driven technology.
Concluding the theme, Soundsnip makes the process of music-making more accessible by offering a simple, intuitive tangible interface that allows users to record and manipulate sounds, and compose music with ease. By lowering entry barriers, the project democratizes creativity, ensuring that everyone can engage with music-making through accessible technology. In the context of this theme, the project suggests the need for democratizing AI, encapsulating the vision of a future where this technology is accessible, empowering, and playful for all users.
Together, these projects challenge current technological assumptions and explore future opportunities, empowering individuals in an evolving digital landscape by addressing skills, agency, and concerns. They inspire us to actively shape the next phase of the Digital Future.