Responding to Generative AI Technologies with Research-through-Design : The Ryelands AI Lab as an Exploratory Study

Benjamin, Jesse and Lindley, Joseph and Edwards, Liz and Rubegni, Elisa and Korjakow, Tim and Grist, David and Sharkey, Rhiannon (2024) Responding to Generative AI Technologies with Research-through-Design : The Ryelands AI Lab as an Exploratory Study. In: DIS '24 Proceedings of the 2024 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference :. ACM, New York, pp. 1823-1841. ISBN 9798400705830

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Abstract

Generative AI technologies demand new practical and critical competencies, which call on design to respond to and foster these. We present an exploratory study guided by Research-through-Design, in which we partnered with a primary school to develop a constructionist curriculum centered on students interacting with a generative AI technology. We provide a detailed account of the design of and outputs from the curriculum and learning materials, finding centrally that the reflexive and prolonged ‘hands-on’ approach led to a co-development of students’ practical and critical competencies. From the study, we contribute guidance for designing constructionist approaches to generative AI technology education; further arguing to do so with ‘critical responsivity.’ We then discuss how HCI researchers may leverage constructionist strategies in designing interactions with generative AI technologies; and suggest that Research-through-Design can play an important role as a ‘rapid response methodology’ capable of reacting to fast-evolving, disruptive technologies such as generative AI.