Speculative (AI) Futures

Registration via https://elevate.at/en/workshops

“The best way to predict the future is to design it.”

The Dutch AI and futures researcher Freyja van den Boom encourages participants to develop the necessary skills and imagination to radically reimagine AI’s impact on society through the lens of what we value—not just what’s technically possible and actively drive change.

Let’s build 2029 on our terms. Whether you’re an artist, policymaker, technologist, or someone who’s felt AI’s sharp edges—your perspective is vital.

AI Futures: a DeepSeek/Zine workshop

The future of AI isn’t a distant horizon, it’s unfolding now, faster than we can track. What happens when we take a "no-time to chill pill" and wake up in 2029? This speculative design workshop invites you to radically reimagine AI’s impact on society through the lens of what we value—not just what’s technically possible.

We’ll use provocative futures-thinking methods to:

• Map hopeful visions of AI-driven societies
• Confront urgent risks already harming marginalized communities
• Co-design challenging scenarios to disrupt complacent AI narratives
• Craft tangible artifacts (zines, charms, policy "hacks") to share insights

This isn’t passive brainstorming, it's a collaborative revolt against AI futures shaped solely by tech elites. We center voices excluded from policy rooms: artists, ethical rebels, activists, and those already navigating AI’s unintended consequence.

What if 2029 could be your future?
AI is rewriting society faster than policies can keep up. At this hands-on workshop, we’ll:

• Co-create “future dispatches” from 2029 using speculative design

• Challenge AI narratives with radical imagination and lived experiences

• Prototype policy interventions through zines, charms, and collaborative storytelling

No tech expertise needed—just bring your hopes, fears, and a willingness to rethink what’s possible.

Why join?

• Shape AI governance tools before they’re codified
• Amplify underrepresented voices in AI discourse

• Leave with provocative artifacts and sparks to provoke change in your community

Be radical. Be charming. Let’s zine/see the future.

Part of Freyja van den Boom’s AIFutures research initiative, blending speculative design, legal foresight, and grassroots activism. Supported by methods honed in global workshops from Kyoto to São Paulo.