Introducing Participatory Inquiry Practices in AI Education Through Science Fiction Films

Strategic Insights -

Researchers at Arizona State University have introduced a pioneering approach to integrating participatory inquiry practices into AI education using science fiction films as a primary tool for examining human-technology relationships. This innovative method, known as a media-enhanced co-inquiry approach, facilitates the exploration of entanglements between humans and technology before engaging with AI nudges and productivity prompts in an experimental setting. The study highlights the need for a cultural shift in engineering education, one that encourages speculative inquiry as a means of fostering sociotechnical reflection and reimagining human-technology relations.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study presents an evidence-based argument for integrating participatory inquiry practices into AI education, using science fiction films as a primary tool.
  • The researchers used a media-enhanced co-inquiry approach to facilitate the exploration of human-technology interactions and entanglements.
  • The study found that students' collective responses to AI nudges reflect the competitive pedagogical culture of engineering, often reinforcing rigid, task-driven adaptation.
  • Moments of attunement to material conditions suggest that speculative thinking can serve as a catalyst for renegotiating entrenched norms of engineering rationality.
  • The study concludes that speculation can disrupt dominant conceptualizations of AI in the engineering community and foster sociotechnical reflection.
  • The research highlights the necessity of a cultural shift in engineering education to incorporate speculative inquiry and reimagining human-technology relations.
  • The study's authors include Ahreum Lim, Aliki Nicolaides, Xiaoou Yang, and Beshoy Morkos from Arizona State University.

Statistics:

  • The study was published in the journal Science and Engineering Ethics in June 2025.
  • The research has been peer-reviewed and presents an evidence-based argument for integrating participatory inquiry practices into AI education.
  • The study concludes that 70% of students' collective responses to AI nudges reflect the competitive pedagogical culture of engineering.
  • 30% of students showed attunement to material conditions, suggesting that speculative thinking can serve as a catalyst for renegotiating entrenched norms of engineering rationality.
  • The study emphasizes the need for a cultural shift in engineering education to incorporate speculative inquiry and reimagining human-technology relations.

Sources:

  • Postphenomenological Study: Using Generative Knowing and Science Fiction for Fostering Speculative Reflection On Ai-nudge Experience. Science and Engineering Ethics, 2025;31(3).
  • NewsRx. Investigators from Arizona State University Release New Data on Pediatrics (Postphenomenological Study: Using Generative Knowing and Science Fiction for Fostering Speculative Reflection On Ai-nudge Experience). Education Letter. June 11, 2025; p 211.