Viraj Joshi is a designer, technologist, and futurist. His practice investigates human-machine interaction, speculative design and fiction, and emerging technology.
He has received several international accolades including work shown at the Science Museum London, United Nations DPPA, London Design Festival, and Milan Design Week.
He has worked at Fjord for over 5 years between their London and Stockholm Studios. He is also a visiting lecturer at the Royal College of Art. He has graduated from Royal College of Art (MA), and Imperial College, London (MSc) in 2018.
He is the cartoonist behind Eliza - The Ghost in Every Machine, tech-critique graphic stories.
He is based in London.
Selected Media
Broadcast from Later (03.2023)
📹 Watch Video➚
🎧 Listen to Podcast➚
The Future Prompt at Milan Design Week (04.2023)
📹 Watch Video➚
FutureBabble at Innovated by Design (08.2023)
📹 Watch Video➚
Non-Human Centred AI at Future Based Podcast (12.2021)
🎧 Listen to Podcast➚
Design.Resilience at Helen Hamlyn Centre
(06.2023)
📹 Watch Video➚
Latest
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ELIZA @ THE CARTOON MUSEUM'S SMALL PRESS DAY
COMIC CONVENTION (08.24) 🇬🇧
Eliza - The Ghost in Every Machine at Small Press Day 2024's edition at The Cartoon Museum.
My first Comic Con!
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DESIGN FUTURES SYMPOSIUM 2024 AT THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF ART
PRESENTATION AND PANEL (08.24) 🇬🇧
I was on a panel with fellow futures nerd Tobias Revell to talk about my experience of doing Design Futures projects in the industry.
This was for the first graduation symposium for The Design Futures Masters at the Royal College of Art.
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'BIOANARCHY' PANEL AT SYMBIOCENE
PANEL DISCUSSION (06.23)
Climate Change Speculation and Action panel at Symbiocene in London.
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LIVING IN THE AGE OF GREEN DICTATORSHIP
SPECULATIVE DESIGN WORKSHOP (04.23) 🇬🇧
A Speculative Design Workshop for Global Innovation Design at the RCA / Imperial Coltege hat put students in an extreme climate context to create radical solutions for a better planet.
Co-created with Audrey Gaulard.
Run with Larissa Kunstel-Tabet -
MISINFORMATION MALARKEY
PRINT COMIC (03.24)
A cautionary tale about a world where all human-made knowledge, art, and science is replaced with machine generated, incoherent, purpose-less “content”. How does humanity cope with this? Can Eliza, the machine consciousness residing in all global technological systems save this world from a Misinformation Malarkey? ‘Eliza - The Ghost in Every Machine’ is the Science Fiction of today.
Order a copy
Also Available at
Gosh Comics, Soho, London
Cartoon Museum Store, London -
A manifesto for speculative design practice
WRITTEN MANIFESTO (01.24)
"A Manifesto for Speculative Design Practice" that rationalises the "Evidence > Extrapolation" process that I’ve iterated upon over the past few years, so I could have a blueprint for tackling speculation projects in the future.
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LIVING IN THE AGE OF GREEN DICTATORSHIP
SPECULATIVE DESIGN WORKSHOP (11.23) 🇬🇧
A Speculative Design Workshop for Innovation Design Engineering that put students in an extreme climate context to create radical solutions for a better planet.
Co-created with Audrey Gaulard.
More details. -
Morphing Futures; the crossroads of Generative Design, AI, and Modern Practice
SYMPOSIUM (11.23) 🇬🇧
AI and Design Symposium at the RCA’s Design Products Course. More details, and some pictures.
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ALTERNATIVE TODAYS
KEYNOTE (10.23) 🇬🇧
A talk about Speculative Design as means of imagining and delivering better futures; for Innovation Design Engineering, and Global Innovation Design – double masters projects between the RCA and Imperial College.
Included a deep dive on my journey with Eliza - The Ghost in Every Machine. -
ELIZA: 120 CARTOONS COMPLETE!
CARTOONS (09.23) 🌐
After 2.5 years, Eliza - The Ghost in Every Machine is done with 120 cartoons that critique the place of Tech in our lives; in the style of the New Yorker Cartoons.
Next up, Eliza will feature in short sci-fi graphic stories, starting with “Misinformation Malarkey”. -
alternative todays and better tomorrows
KEYNOTE (09.23) 🇧🇪
A talk about Speculative Design as means of imagining and delivering better futures; for Living Summer School 2023.
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'FUTUREBABBLE' @ Innovated by Design
GUEST TALK (08.23) 🌐
▶️ Watch online
‘FutureBabble’ investigates speculation as a craft and its value in research, design, and innovation processes. It seeks to validate the place of futures and fiction beyond ‘mere’ provocation and imagination.
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'FUTUREBABBLE' @ Wolffkraft
GUEST TALK (07.23) 🇮🇳
Guest talk with Wolffkraft – a Strategy and Design Studio; where I did on Speculative Design as a topic, showed the process behind Eliza - the Ghost in Every Machine and Postcards from the Future; and did an exercise around “Her” the 2013 Spike Jonze film.
Their blog recounts the event in great detail and kind words.
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'FUTUREBABBLE' @ IBM
GUEST TALK (06.23) 🌐
Guest talk with IBM’s Strategic Foresight Guild on Speculative Design, and the criticality and speculation in Eliza - The Ghost in Every Machine.
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DESIGN.RESILIENCE @ HELEN HAMLYN CENTRE FOR DESIGN
PANEL DISCUSSION (06.23) 🇬🇧
Panel Discussion hosted by Madelaine Dowd for the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design under the title Design.Resilience; along with Ved Sen and Dylan Yamada-Rice.
Presented my short story “Our Absolute Last Hope is Absolute”
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'FUTUREBABBLE' @ D-FORD
GUEST TALK (05.23) 🌐
Guest talk for D-Ford on Speculative design, and the criticality and speculation in Eliza - The Ghost in Every Machine.
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THE FUTURE PROMPT - MILAN DESIGN WEEK
PANEL DISCUSSION (04.23) 🇮🇹
THE FUTURE PROMPT:// a panel hosted by Domus Academy and Speculative Futures Milan, where I sat down with Alexandra Mihai, Simone Rebaudengo, and Tobias Revell, and we spoke through our Design Fiction around AI and design.
This piece of work became Eliza no. 100. -
WHOSE PREFERRED FUTURE IS THIS?
RESEARCH ARTICLE (04.23) 🌐
Read here
For World Futures Review
Featuring Postcards from the Future. -
BROADCAST FROM LATER - EP43
PODCAST (04.23) 🌐
▶️ Watch on Youtube
🎧 Listen to PodcastI joined Tobias Revell, Sydney Allen-Ash, and Robert Bolton to talk drop-shipped, crowd-funded cloud-seeding; the uncanny bigotry of AI generated fashion models; and how we ended up in the era of “quantitative aesthetics” — on Broadcast From Later.
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'FUTUREBABBLE' AT CEPT
CEPT, AHMEDABAD
GUEST TALK (04.23) 🇮🇳Guest talk for CEPT, Ahmedabad.
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ELIZA AI - ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL 2023
CARTOONS (03.23) 🌐
13 captions to an Eliza drawing from 13 prolific creatives, for the cartoon’s 2nd anniversary.
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SHOULD WE STOP DREAMING OF ANDROIDS WHO DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP?
IAAD BOLOGNA AND TURIN
GUEST TALK (02.23) 🇮🇹Guest talk on AI-Futures featuring “Eliza - The Ghost in Every Machine” for IAAD Bologna and Turin, in a week long session about tying AI solutions to SDG goals, by Elena Falomo.
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FUTURE CASTING
ACCENTURE SONG
TALK AND WORKSHOP (01.23) 🇬🇧For Fjord / Accenture Song’s business designers.
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DREAMS OF A RESILIENT PLANET
UNIVERSITY OF ARTS, LONDON
GUEST LECTURE (11.22) 🇬🇧For UAL’s Climate Challenge: Creative Collaborations module for it’s undergrads, I debuted my climate fiction piece “Dreams of a Resilient Planet.”
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SPECULATIVE DESIGN LIBRARY @SOCIETY 5.0
SOCIETY 5.0 FESTIVAL 2022
EXHIBITION (10.22) 🇳🇱Eliza and Postcards from the Future were invited to be a part of the Speculative Design Library at Society 5.0 Festival in Amsterdam.
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KEYNOTE: "A LICENCE TO DREAM"
LIVING SUMMER SCHOOL 2022
TALK (09.22) 🇧🇪I was invited for a keynote at Living Summer School 2022 by Eiland Collective where young activists, entrepreneurs, designers and artists explored the future of living in Kortrijk, Belgium.
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DESIGN FUTURES 6-WEEK COURSE
TUTORING (09.22) 🇮🇳
Led a 6 week Design Futures Module for MIT-Institute of Design’s masters students.
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Being bold with futures
SCIENCE FICTION WRITING, DRAWING WORKSHOP (03-07.22) 🇬🇧
See all stories on their website.
After the workshop done by Arthur Gouillart and me for Fjord London's annual "Equinox" festival, I curated the output stories along with an internal team of illustrators and designers. -
UX Mag Feature: Speculating Metaverse Interactions
ARTICLE (07.22) 🖥️
Read on UXMag.com: An analysis of human-machine interactions in a spatial internet future with my weekly AI fiction cartoon: Eliza - The Ghost in Every Machine.
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Situating futures in business design
TALK AND WORKSHOP (07.22) 🇧🇪🇪🇸🇵🇹
Conducted a workshop to introduce design futures techniques to Fjord business designers in Spain and Portugal.
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experimental realism 2022
TUTORING (06-12.22) 🖥️
Had the pleasure of tutoring Shruthi Venkat for Experimental Realism’s 2nd year.
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TALES ABOUT (AND FROM) TOMORROW
GUEST LECTURE (04.22) 🇦🇪
Speculative design guest lecture for NYU Abu Dhabi’s “Manus et Machina” undergrad module.
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SPECULATING METAVERSE INTERACTIONS
ARTICLE (04.22) 🖥️
An analysis of human-machine interactions in a spatial internet future with my weekly AI fiction cartoon: Eliza - The Ghost in Every Machine.
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BEING BOLD WITH FUTURES
TALK AND WORKSHOP (03.22) 🇬🇧
With Arthur Gouillart, for Fjord London
For Fjord's annual festival, Equinox, Arthur and I did an hour-long talk followed by a workshop for writing Science Fiction. -
A fiction writer's guide to invention
GUEST LECTURE (03.22) 🇩🇪
Microsoft invited me for a guest lecture at their “Fix-hack-learn” / FHL week.
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ELIZA AI – ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL 2022
CARTOONS (03.22) 🖥️
Eliza – The Ghost in Every Machine turns one year old and we have amazing guests on writing and art duties for the celebration!
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Net-zero bird in hand
SHORT STORY (02.22) 🖥️
A fictional news report set in 2050, a cautionary tale, written for One Day 2050.
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anomaly in the rhythm
SHORT STORY (02.22) 🇬🇧
Published as a part of ‘Vital Signals’ a collection of near future fiction works, available now.
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Provocation v Innovation
TUTORING (01.21) 🇬🇧
Speculative design workshop for Innovation Design Engineering at the RCA / Imperial College for 2nd year masters students with Arthur Gouillart.
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Future Based Podcast
INTERVIEW ON PODCAST (12.21) 🇳🇱
Interview featuring Eliza - The Ghost in Every Machine on the Future Based Podcast.
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GAEA FESTIVAL
PANEL DISCUSSION (12.21) 🇬🇧🇺🇸
AI futures panel discussion at Gaea Festival at Mika Bushwick, NYC, watch now.
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PROBING OUR FUTURES WITH DESIGN
KEYNOTE (11.21) 🇺🇸
For Newell Brands’ internal conference, read more.
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Design fiction and design futures
MEDIUM ARTICLE (11.21) 🖥️
Differences between Design Fiction and Design Futures, read now.
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Situating, transforming, de-centering images of futures
PANEL DISCUSSION (10.21) 🇨🇦
Done at 4S Festival online.
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Design Futures 6-week course
TUTORING (09.21) 🇮🇳
Led a 6 week Design Futures Module for MIT-Institute of Design’s masters students.
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Making Up Design Fiction: An Express Method
MEDIUM ARTICLE (08.21) 🖥️
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EXPERIMENTAL REALISM 2021
TUTORING (07.21) 🖥️
Had the pleasure of mentoring Martin Comisso Perez for Experimental Realism's debut year.
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PRIMER '21 CONFERENCE
WORKSHOP (07.21) 🌍
“Postcards from the Future” live Design Fiction creation workshop at the Primer ‘21 conference.
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Design India Magazine interview
INTERVIEW IN PRINT MAGAZINE (05.21) 🇮🇳
Design India Magazine, May 2021, issue 129.
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Visiting Lecturer, rca
TUTORING (04.21) 🇬🇧
Started as an interaction and speculative design tutor at Innovation Design Engineering, a 2 years masters course between the Royal College of Art and Imperial College, London.
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FUTURES JARGON MYTHBUSTING
PANEL DISCUSSION (04.21) 🇸🇪
Was a host and speaker at Speculative Future, Stockholm's "Futures Jargon Mythbusting" event, watch on YouTube.
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INTERVIEW WITH AIXDESIGN
INTERVIEW (04.21) 🖥️
AIxDesign featured an interview with me on their Medium.
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What Animal Crossing Taught Me About Data and Interaction Design
MEDIUM ARTICLE (01.21) 🖥️
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SPECULATIVE FUTURES ROTTERDAM
WORKSHOP (01.21) 🇳🇱
“Postcards from the Future” live Design Fiction creation workshop. Read medium article.
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Work featured in Birkhäuser publication
PUBLICATION (12.20) 🇩🇪
2 of my products designed in support of Kensho Miyoshi's PhD about Objects in Motion are now in a book published by Birkhäuser.
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THE UTOPIA COMPASS
EXHIBITION (11.20) 🖥️
Design fiction piece + film by Nadia Piet and me, featured as in the “Futuring Peace” exhibition by The United Nations DPPA, and The Design Futures Initiative.
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POLLINATOR RESIDENCY MENTORSHIP
MENTORSHIP (09.20) 🇮🇳
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Building Future Worlds for Science Fiction
MEDIUM ARTICLE (09.20) 🇸🇪
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POSTCARDS FROM THE FUTURE @ VARIATIONS ON TOMORROW
ZINE FEATURE (08.20) 🖥️
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FUTURE CULTURE AND IT'S CONSUMPTION
INTERVIEW (06.20) 🇮🇳
With Art and Charlie. Watch now.
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THE DOOHICKEY
TALK / WORKSHOP (06.20) 🇸🇪
Speculative Futures, Stockholm, Watch video
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Futuro, Diseño y Storytelling
INTERVIEW IN SPANISH (05.20) 🇨🇴
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THE DOOHICKEY RELEASE
SCIENCE FICTION FILM (03.20) 🖥️
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Patlypatras
EXHIBITION (01.20) 🇮🇳
"Patlypatras", an alternate history piece, exhibited at the Indianama 2019 exhibition.
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pecha kucha, stockholm
TALK (06.19) 🇸🇪
“Design, technology, speculation, and making”, listen now.
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TANGIBLE INTERFACE EXPERIMENTS IN ACADEMIC PAPER
ACADEMIC PAPER BY ERIC HENG GU (12.18) 🖥️
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AIRWIRE @ SCIENCE MUSEUM
EXHIBITION (10.18) 🇬🇧
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AIRWIRE ON CLOT MAGAZINE
MAGAZINE FEATURE (09.18) 🖥️
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AIRWIRE "best of student design" ARTICLE
NEWS ARTICLE (09.18) 🇬🇧
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Airwire @ london design festival
EXHIBITION (09.18) 🇬🇧
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AIRWIRE @ SHOW 2018 ARTICLE
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AIRWIRE @ RCA SHOW 2018
EXHIBITION (06.18) 🇬🇧
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anomaly in the rhythm @ virtual futures
SHORT STORY (05.18) 🇬🇧
Short sci-fi story written for and read at Virtual Futures’ post brain event.
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IMI ON YANKO DESIGN
ONLINE FEATURE (06.17) 🖥️