Co-speculating with AI
From prompts to practices
Elisa Giaccardi (Politecnico di Milano)
Joseph Lindley (Lancaster University)
Maria Luce Lupetti (Politecnico di Torino)
Giulia Jiangxian Zhu (Politecnico di Milano)
Dave Murray-Rust (TU Delft - Industrial Design Engineering)
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Abstract
This paper presents a vocabulary for co-speculation with AI, developed through an experimental design studio with 55 postgraduate students who used generative AI tools to explore more-than-human design practices of decentering. The vocabulary spans multiple scales of interaction—from individual prompting acts to extended collaborative sessions—serving descriptive, analytic, and generative functions. Whilst it was developed through the specific context of decentering practices, we argue that this vocabulary is transferable to diverse design domains. It offers designers and researchers a framework for more reflective and intentional engagements with AI, contributing to emerging discussions on how design practice evolves when speculation becomes a shared activity between humans and machines.
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