Collaborative Speculation with AI Support: Observations from the “Futures Studio”
Authors: Lillio Mok, Jiasheng Li, Brandon Huynh, Monica P Van, Pablo E. Paredes Published in: Companion of the Computer-Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing (CSCW Companion ’26), 2026
Organizations face strategic questions that require collective speculation about ambiguous futures laden with trade-offs, which solo gen-AI interactions, distributed collaboration, and retrospective data analysis each only partially address. We present a design case study of the “Futures Studio”, a broader research initiative investigating how a room-scale, AI-supported system with embodied interaction, co-located group deliberation, and justificatory evidence can support organizational speculation of deeply-uncertain futures. We surface four key observed needs: coherent epistemic grounding of speculative futures; structuring of complex multi-dimensional future scenarios for legibility; immersive elements shaping attunement with the consequences of future outcomes; and workflows that bridge individual and group-based strategy both in and beyond a room.