A paper by Paul Coulton, et.al. that describes how a fictional, AI-driven “smart media” experience was staged inside a mobile living room (a retrofitted tear-drop caravan), where participants engaged with what appeared to be an intelligent TV system that was configured to adapt in real time to their behavior. But actually, the entire experience was carefully orchestrated using the “Wizard of Oz” type setup. They did this to simulate an AI-driven environment and then observe how people react when the basic norms of familiar and mundane activities, like watching TV, are subtly disrupted.

By framing the experience as mundane but slightly off, researchers were able to make participants reflect on their expectations about privacy, control, and data usage. This methodology offers a powerful new tool for understanding how emerging technologies might succeed or fail once embedded in everyday life.

A paper by Paul Coulton, et.al. that describes how a fictional, AI-driven “smart media” experience was staged inside a mobile living room (a retrofitted tear-drop caravan), where participants engaged with what appeared to be an intelligent TV system that was configured to adapt in real time to their behavior. But actually, the entire experience was carefully orchestrated using the “Wizard of Oz” type setup. They did this to simulate an AI-driven environment and then observe how people react when the basic norms of familiar and mundane activities, like watching TV, are subtly disrupted.

The future mundane is a consideration as to the way we imagine into possible futures should be experiential and relatable — grounded such that sense is made of the everyday that would be inhabited. This approach reveals how subtle changes in familiar routines can evoke profound reflections on technology’s role in shaping daily life. Designers might use such staged scenarios to explore the boundaries of comfort and curiosity, revealing how ordinary experiences can serve as gateways to contemplating deeper technological shifts. This is similar to the motivation for doing things like a newspaper from the future, or a product catalog. Quotidian moments become portals for imagining how routine interactions could evolve, encouraging us to see the future not as distant and fantastical but as an extension of what we already know and do daily.