AI's role in generating ecological imaginaries of the future

Imagining shared futures is recognized as a crucial factor in driving societal innovation and transformation to address the climate crisis. Positive long-term future visions are particularly important for alleviating eco-anxiety among young people. Researchers are exploring the potential role of generative AI, such as large language models, in crafting these new narratives. However, current evidence is mixed on whether AI aids or impedes the creation of future scenarios that inspire young individuals to contribute to the societal changes necessary to combat climate change. This paper presents a study that gathered, analyzed, and compared far-future climate stories generated by both humans and AI, involving 78 young Danish participants. The results enhance our understanding of the differences between AI-generated and human-generated climate futures.