Co-speculating with AI: From prompts to practices

Authors

• Elisa Giaccardi, Department of Design, Politecnico di Milano, ItalyFollow
• Joseph Lindley, School of Arts, Lancaster University, UKFollow
• Maria Luce Lupetti, Department of Architecture and Design, Politecnico di Torino, ItalyFollow
• Giulia Jiangxian Zhu, Department of Design, Politecnico di Milano, ItalyFollow
• Dave Murray-Rust, Faculty of Industrial Design Engineering, Delft University of Technology, NetherlandsFollow

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.

Keywords

co-speculation, prompt craft, more-than-human, design pedagogy

DOI

https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.1899

Citation

Giaccardi, E., Lindley, J., Lupetti, M., Zhu, G., and Murray-Rust, D. (2026) Co-speculating with AI: From prompts to practices, in Simeone, L., Gray, C. M., Verhoeven, A., de Götzen, A., Bakırlıoğlu, Y., Zohar, H., Stead, M., and Buwert, P. (eds.), DRS2026: Edinburgh, 8–12 June, Edinburgh, United Kingdom. https://doi.org/10.21606/drs.2026.1899

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License