About the Episode
About The Episode:
Dave Hunt sits down with Maya Georgieva, Founding Senior Director of the Innovation Center and the XR, AI, and Quantum Labs at Parsons School of Design at The New School. Maya unpacks what it means to be a “narrative futurist” and explores how creative professionals can meaningfully engage with frontier technologies like spatial computing, generative AI, and quantum systems. The conversation dives deep into authorship, ethics, immersive storytelling, and how to maintain the human voice in an increasingly automated world.
Key Takeaways
- "Narrative futurism" is the art of making sense of emerging technologies through storytelling — a powerful tool for imagining and building inclusive, ethical futures in education.
- Creative professionals must learn to see AI, XR, and quantum computing not just as tools, but as new terrains for expression and connection.
- Spatial storytelling emphasizes sensory immersion, world-building, and agency — creating opportunities for deeper engagement in education and design.
- Ethical literacy around AI is essential — including transparency in authorship, awareness of environmental costs, and active questioning of who benefits from technological change.
- Maya’s AI survival kit includes curiosity, systems thinking, ethical awareness, and a refusal to worship tools.
- Students bring hope to the future of AI in education by challenging norms and creatively engaging with technology with care and intention.
Episode Summary
What is a "Narrative Futurist" and Why Does It Matter in Higher Education?
Maya Georgieva describes her role as a narrative futurist as someone who blends storytelling with strategic foresight. This means identifying cultural, technological, and social shifts — then crafting stories that help others understand, interpret, and respond to those shifts. For Maya, storytelling isn’t just a method of communication; it's a method of design thinking, a tool for prototyping possible worlds. In her work with AI, XR, and quantum systems, she uses narrative to turn abstract and chaotic concepts into meaningful, actionable ideas. And in the classroom, she uses this lens to inspire students to explore new ways of seeing and shaping the world.
How Should Creative Professionals Approach Spatial Storytelling and Emerging Technologies?
According to Maya, creatives must go beyond learning how to use new tech — they must understand the affordances these technologies offer. Spatial storytelling, for example, isn’t just about AR/VR hardware; it’s about building immersive experiences that allow users to engage with narratives through agency, presence, and emotion. Generative AI brings in real-time personalization and responsiveness, while quantum thinking encourages comfort with uncertainty and multiple outcomes. Maya urges creatives to approach these tools as collaborative partners rather than static software — and to focus on the sensory and emotional richness they can enable.
How Do You Keep the Human Voice Central in a Tech-Driven World?
“Technology doesn’t tell stories — people do,” Maya says. She challenges the tendency to let technology become the focus, rather than a vehicle for human connection. For Maya, the real question isn’t whether a tool is powerful or impressive, but whether it enhances empathy, understanding, or creativity. In a world often driven by operational efficiency and automation, she sees storytelling as the anchor to ensure that digital innovation remains human-centered. Her work continuously circles back to intention, asking what values and human experiences are being amplified by these new mediums.
What's a Simple Exercise for Exploring Immersive Storytelling?
You don’t need access to a high-end XR lab to begin world-building. Maya suggests starting with something as familiar as your daily commute or your neighborhood. Reimagine that environment as a new world — mapping it emotionally and sensorially. What rules govern it? What characters live there? What emotions does it provoke? This exercise helps shift mindset from passive observation to intentional creation — which is at the heart of immersive storytelling. For those with access, low-cost AR apps and interactive online exhibitions are a great way to start experimenting with spatial thinking.
How Should We Think About Authorship in the Age of Generative AI?
This is one of the thorniest questions Maya tackles. She explains that while authorship has always been somewhat fluid (especially in oral traditions), generative AI presents an unprecedented challenge by obscuring attribution altogether. AI models are trained on massive datasets of existing creative work — often without consent. This creates a murky space where emerging artists, in particular, can feel erased. Maya believes we must build new ethical frameworks for credit, compensation, and consent — and we must be transparent about our use of AI in creative processes. It's not about rejecting technology, but about respecting the human creative capital it builds upon.
What About the Environmental Impact of Generative AI?
Maya’s students frequently raise concerns about the environmental costs of running large-scale AI models — and she encourages this awareness. Rather than blanket rejection, she advocates for nuanced understanding: knowing the carbon footprint of different models, choosing lightweight or locally-run tools when possible, and aligning technology use with one’s own values. She teaches students to consider not just technical quality, but environmental sustainability when evaluating creative tools. Responsible creation means making conscious decisions about when and how to engage with powerful but energy-intensive systems.
What’s in Maya’s Creative AI Survival Kit?
If you’re trying to build the right mindset for creative work in an AI-saturated world, Maya’s toolkit includes:
- Curiosity — The drive to explore, experiment, and stay open to surprise.
- Ethical Awareness — Constant reflection on impact, attribution, and the societal implications of your work.
- Systems Thinking — Understanding how technologies are embedded within larger socio-political and environmental contexts.
- A Bias Toward Questions, Not Just Solutions — Innovation starts by challenging assumptions and asking better questions.
- No Tool Worship — Don’t chase the newest tech for its own sake. Focus on intention, not novelty.
Maya’s advice is clear: focus on cultivating adaptive mindsets, not collecting trendy tools.
What Gives Maya the Most Hope About the Future of AI in Education?
Maya doesn’t hesitate: her students give her hope. She sees them approaching emerging technologies with both excitement and critical thinking. They challenge norms, explore new forms of expression, and remain committed to ethical innovation. As a narrative futurist, she believes in helping students hold space for uncertainty — and use imagination as a practice to build a better, more inclusive future. It’s not about predicting what’s next — it’s about preparing to shape it together.
Enrollify is produced by Element451 — the next-generation AI student engagement platform helping institutions create meaningful and personalized interactions with students. Learn more at element451.com.
.svg)
.svg)
