Impacts of an Engaging and Multifaceted Future Narrative: Immersive Science-Fiction Prototyping

This chapter introduces an instructional framework centered on an immersive, multilinear narrative within virtual reality to portray human existence teetering on the brink of technological singularity. The focus is on examining the potential of narrative scenarios to prompt user-driven discussions, using Affective Computing as a case study. Affective Computing, a subfield of AI, is dedicated to recognizing, comprehending, and appropriately responding to human emotions. Its objective is to enhance human-machine interactions by fostering more personalized and emotionally resonant experiences. To envision a scenario where an emotionally intelligent AI becomes a close companion, a multilinear narrative unfolds. This narrative guides the audience through various phases of the protagonist’s life, starting from the initial day of secondary school to the poignant moment of losing a loved one in midlife. The chapter outlines a systematic approach employed to craft and validate this multilinear interactive scenario, followed by the presentation of experimental results involving 164 participants. The overarching aim is to apply this methodology for educational purposes, particularly in fostering ethical contemplation and responsible innovations.