“Good robots fight off bad robots to protect humanity” – Children's utopian and dystopian views of future technology through a speculative filmmaking workshop

Children have a complex relationship with technology, as it is deeply woven into their everyday lives. Young children’s experiences and expectations of these intertwined relationships require further understanding. Therefore, we explored through a speculative filmmaking workshop how 9–10–year–old schoolchildren perceive and envision humans’ future relationships with technology through speculative filmmaking workshops. The children worked in groups to design and create short stop-motion design futuring animations. Through qualitative analysis of these animations, we identified themes of utopian and dystopian discourses. Our findings reveal that young children are aware of and critical about technology’s impact and potential as both a savior and a threat to humanity. We contribute by utilizing speculative filmmaking as a tool for design futuring and showing how design futuring can help young children critically reflect on their present and future relationships with technology. Our study builds a case for critical technology literacy initiatives with and by young children.