Playing Future Narratives

By experimenting with the use of artificial intelligence and collaborative storytelling in public engagement with sustainability challenges, the Futuring Together group, through an interactive installation "Playing Future Narratives" at Artistic Research Week 2024 (22nd - 27th October 2024) at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, explored how AI-enhanced collaborative narrative creation augmented with a visual essay could facilitate understanding of energy transition futures in Trondheim, Norway. The installation utilized ScenSyn, a multiplayer interactive storytelling system combining AI-assisted narrative generation with human creativity, together with a visual essay highlighting the complexities and contradictions inherent in the energy transition. The project provided an opportunity to test how AI-enhanced collaborative storytelling might offer unique opportunities for exploring complex societal transitions and raised important questions about the role of artificial intelligence in creative processes and public discourse. keywords: Artificial Intelligence, Collaborative Storytelling, Interactive Narratives, Human-AI Collaboration, Energy Transition, Sustainability, Design Fiction, Futuring, arw, artistic research week, ntnu, ad, KiT