What is design fiction

"...There is a difference between a design prototype and a design fiction. While a design prototype is bound by the parameters of the present, a design fiction has no logical constraints, and it's part of a narrative story set in another time. The resulting provocation makes us believe "this could be real," enabling us to converse and understand the possible impacts on society and on earth.  Enticing narrative power is why design fiction and speculative design are used by innovation giants such as Tesla, Google, and Apple. Because these companies are not limited by what’s possible, we hold magic every day in the form of the smartphone, for better and for worse. However, it is easy to forget that such a device was once deemed impossible, something only imagined in a science fiction novel." (WEF, 9 November 2021)