Designing AI with Metaphors: Leveraging Ambiguity and Defamiliarization to Support Design Creativity

Abstract

Existing literature on designing AI technologies focuses on personifying the AI system using metaphors like "collaborator"or "teammate."However, these personifying metaphors may have problematic consequences and do not reflect the full breadth of the design space for human-AI interaction. We report the design process of, and initial results from, a participatory speculative design workshop that supports participants in designing AI systems using novel, non-human metaphors. We articulate two current design recommendations for interaction or workshop designers interested in AI and metaphors: Defamiliarization of AI may support creative interpretation of ambiguous metaphors and Explicit metaphorical thinking may scaffold participants' use of ambiguity as a resource. We also discuss two potential results suggested by our initial data collection: Ambiguous metaphorical thinking may support groups negotiating values and The term AI may limit attempts at defamiliarization.