Outputs

Let’s talk about AI..

A webtoon combining text with illustration.

PANEL 1

Two newsreaders, one female, one male, are sitting side by side on a large red sofa in the middle of an orange newsroom. She has short dark hair and is wearing a neat blue jumper over navy trousers, he has short fair hair and is wearing a black suit with red tie. Behind them is a screen displaying a logo which shows the words ‘News Today’ in front of a bright yellow sun. On a table in front of them is an open laptop, a small pile of paper, and two mugs of tea. The newsreaders are both smiling and facing towards us, the viewer.

FEMALE NEWSREADER:
Everyone is talking about AI..

MALE NEWSREADER:
But what does it mean to you?

NARRATION:
It’s not just one type of technology, and has many uses.

PANEL 2

A red-headed woman in a green dress is surrounded by thought bubbles showing different AI products – a route planner with digital map, an online search result for pictures of cute cats, a phone using its selfie camera to perform a facial ID check, and a text message conversation which shows autocorrect suggesting a spelling error.

NARRATION:
Maybe you’ve tried AI, hoping to make tasks easier..

PANEL 3

A brown-haired woman in a blue baseball shirt and black trousers sits on a green sofa, smiling, drinking tea, and reading from a tablet device. Her feet are up on a green stool, out of the way of a robot vacuum cleaner gliding across the floor. On a small table nearby is a smart speaker which is wirelessly connected to a tall lamp behind the sofa.

WOMAN:
Hey Buddi, turn the light on!

SMART SPEAKER:
Done!

NARRATION:
Or heard stories of how AI can speed up scientific discovery.

PANEL 4

A woman wearing glasses, a white shirt under a green jumper, and a black lanyard has one eye closed as she looks through a large white microscope. The microscope is connected by wire to a big metal machine with a digital display. The screen shows calculations being performed in code alongside close-up images of healthy red blood cells as well as one mutated cell.

NARRATION:
On the other hand, some of the ideas around AI can be scary.

PANEL 5

The background fades to black as a single giant pixelated eye, surrounded by colourful pixels and digits of binary code, stares down from the sky intimidatingly over a crowd of people.

NARRATION:
We all have different AI experiences, and many are concerned about its impacts on our lives.

PANEL 6

A group of people are having an intense conversation. Among them is an older woman with silver hair, red earrings, and a blue blouse, a young man with short, dark cornrows and a white and green varsity jacket, as well as the brown-haired woman who was reading earlier, and the female scientist. The silver-haired woman is worried that AI is spying on her, imagining the giant eye watching her through a window. The young man shares that an AI facial ID check didn’t recognise him because of his dark skin, and the brown-haired woman is upset that an AI chatbot didn’t support her online. Meanwhile, the woman in glasses is concerned that AI could replace her at work, imagining herself carrying her microscope home in a box.

NARRATION:
It’s important to talk about AI in this way, and that these conversations reach the people who are making decisions about how AI is used in society.

PANEL 7

A group of people, including the woman in the green dress, the young man, and the silver-haired woman, unhappily demand answers to their questions from a trio of people in suits who are sitting in chairs elevated above them, as if they were in a courtroom.

PANEL 8

Back in the newsroom, the two newsreaders discuss a current event. The male newsreader has picked up the papers from the table.

FEMALE NEWSREADER:
Leaders from governments and tech experts meet again today to discuss what to do.

NARRATION:
AI’s future in society is unpredictable, making the job of decision makers difficult.

PANEL 9

A closer shot of the three people in the elevated chairs. There is a woman in a black suit and pale green shirt who has her dark hair pulled into a sleek bun, a man with carefully styled brown hair and beard who wears black rimmed glasses and a blue suit with a black tie, and an older man with silver hair and thick eyebrows who is dressed in a black suit with a green tie. They are talking amongst themselves and look concerned as the bearded man shakes his head.

NARRATION:
Some think faster growth maximises benefits.

PANEL 10

A huge set of white scales holds three people with piles of money in its left cup, and a larger group of people in its right cup, which is printed with the symbol of a sad face. The scales are wobbling, but tip slightly to the right.

NARRATION:
Others argue few will gain a lot, while many experience negative effects.

PANEL 11

Two groups of people are sitting opposite each other debating different points of view. On the left sits the woman in glasses alongside a man with dark blonde hair and a blue turtleneck jumper. In their speech bubbles are pictographs of the Earth and a security shield. On the right side sits the suited woman with a bun and the man with styled hair and beard, and their speech bubbles show pictographs of a line rising on a graph and a ticking clock.

NARRATION:
Experts present their opinions and evidence, but they don’t agree, either. Some argue for more AI, others argue to block it. These discussions seldom include public opinion effectively..

PANEL 12

A far-away shot of a municipal building with dark grey roofing and pale yellow brick walls, adorned with a small British flag. Next to this is a courtyard behind a fence, and a red and black office block. In the background are silhouettes of even taller buildings. A long line of people stretches from the door at the front of the municipal building, weaving over two grassy hills.

NARRATION: 
Leaving people feeling unheard. Those most left out are those most likely to be harmed by AI.

PANEL 13

Silhouettes of a crowd left in the dark. In the foreground are the outlines of the group who were sharing their concerns about AI earlier.

NARRATION:
Collecting people’s opinions, thoughts and experiences can inform decisions.

PANEL 14

The woman in glasses and the man in the blue turtleneck are joined by another woman who has shoulder-length black hair and wears a dark green blouse and black lanyard. They are all holding clipboards and pens, ready to carry out research with the public. The new woman clicks her pen.

NARRATION:
Researchers often do this, making evidence.

PANEL 15

Back in the newsroom, the female newsreader folds her arms on her knees, and continues speaking.

FEMALE NEWSREADER:
A bit like we do for the news.

PANEL 16

The male newsreader leans forward to ask a question. He sets the papers back down, and gestures with an open hand. The female newsreader is holding the laptop on her lap, she turns towards her colleague to answer.

MALE NEWSREADER:
Where do they start?

FEMALE NEWSREADER:
They ask many different people questions, and record their answers.

PANEL 17

A zoomed-in shot of the female newsreader’s head and shoulders, as she continues speaking.

FEMALE NEWSREADER:
This becomes evidence of public opinion.

NARRATION:
Sometimes, researchers might bring people together in a group to discuss how they feel.

PANEL 18

The group of concerned people sit around a large circular wooden table discussing their worries with the researchers. Questionnaire forms and pens sit on the table.

NARRATION:
Or they might collect individual statements from questionnaires.

PANEL 19

The researchers are working through tall piles of questionnaires, reading and sorting them. The woman in glasses smiles.

NARRATION:
The experiences, hopes and fears of many different people are gathered together and stored. But decision-makers can’t read them one by one!

PANEL 20

The woman in glasses squeezes a huge pile of papers into a vertical metal press, using her hands to hold it stable.

NARRATION:
To share insights, researchers group together statements that are similar, condensing the information. Making it smaller..

PANEL 21

The press squeezes the papers down, shaking lightly with the pressure.

NARRATION:
And smaller..

PANEL 22

The top and bottom of the press slam together, compressing the large pile of paper into one small neat stack.

NARRATION:
This makes the evidence quick to read and understand,

PANEL 23:

The three people in suits crowd around a grey folder which holds the newly organised papers, each is wearing an expression of surprise and interest.

NARRATION:
So that it is easier to get in front of decision-makers.

PANEL 24

A headshot of the male newsreader smiling as he speaks.

MALE NEWSREADER:
So they can hear what we’ve got to say!

PANEL 25

A headshot of the female newsreader responding with an eyebrow quirked.

FEMALE NEWSREADER:
Yes but this can be complicated..

PANEL 26

The female newsreader raises her hand and gestures as she speaks, having rested the laptop back on the table.

FEMALE NEWSREADER:
Every study will have its own goals, and specific questions or audiences.

PANEL 27

The male newsreader has picked the papers up again, and drinks tea as he poses another question.

MALE NEWSREADER:
So can we trust this evidence?

NARRATION:
A group of researchers reviewed hundreds of public opinion studies from around the world and found some issues.

PANEL 28

The woman in glasses and lanyard rests her hand on her chin, wearing a concerned expression as she examines a set of papers scattered across the table in front of her.

NARRATION:
They discovered that AI developers were more likely to present evidence that people are positive about AI..

PANEL 29

The bearded man in blue suit and the woman with a bun and black suit pull at one end of a large rope, as a crowd of people watch from the background, holding placards with messages in support of AI.

NARRATION:
While evidence that people are concerned about AI tended to come from researchers who share these worries.

PANEL 30

On the other end of the rope is the woman in glasses and the male researcher in a blue jumper, straining with effort. Another crowd watches them from afar, waving opposing placards with anti-AI messages.

PANEL 31

The two newsreaders sit on the sofa, she has her hands folded together on her lap and he holds his arms crossed as he asks another question.

MALE NEWSREADER:
But how did they get such different results?

NARRATION:
The way questions are asked impacts answers..

PANEL 32

An imagined scene shows the male newsreader approached by the male researcher in the blue turtleneck who waves a questionnaire on a clipboard. The newsreader is recoiling from the researcher’s overly enthusiastic and loud questions.

NARRATION:
..They can be leading, or people may feel they can’t be completely honest.

PANEL 33

Headshots of the newsreaders speaking hover over an image of the group of researchers who are hiking up a steep mountain path. One uses a pole to help as they struggle against the wind and high into the clouds.

FEMALE NEWSREADER:
It can also be really hard to find people to speak to.

MALE NEWSREADER:
It sounds like an uphill battle.

PANEL 34

A headshot of the female newsreader, who wears a serious expression.

FEMALE NEWSREADER:
Yes, and other mistakes also mean people are left out of evidence. For example..

NARRATION:
People might not respond to questions that don’t seem relevant to them..

PANEL 35

A woman with long curly black hair in a navy dress and pale blue sweater listens in confusion as the man in the turtleneck reads aloud from his clipboard.

NARRATION:
..And others might not be able to respond if they don’t have access to the internet, or phones, or computers.

PANEL 36

The silver-haired woman with red earrings looks irritated as she reads a pamphlet about an online survey, while in the background an empty outline indicates the shape of a missing computer monitor.

NARRATION:
If researchers are careless, entire communities won’t be visible in their studies..

PANEL 37

The male researcher in turtleneck walks down a pavement, looking to his left for someone new to question. Meanwhile across the street on his right is a large crowd of people all waving and calling out. One of the people holds a placard that reads ‘We’re over here!’, but the researcher does not notice them.

NARRATION:
..And others do not prepare well for differences in language and communication styles.

PANEL 38

The woman in glasses writes something on her clipboard, but looks confused as the man she is listening to, who has slicked back hair and a dark shirt decorated with badges, speaks in a dialect she can’t interpret.

NARRATION:
People whose opinions have been excluded from the research are left out of the discussion on what to do about AI..

PANEL 39

A crowd of people are speaking, their worries manifesting as pictograms in speech bubbles. Amongst the crowd, a woman in a blue headscarf and light denim jacket shares her concerns about the planet, her bubble’s pictogram showing a globe on fire. Next to her a young person with short blonde hair and a green hoodie looks concerned under a pictogram displaying a broken security shield. Elsewhere, a pictogram of a padlock indicates the silver haired woman’s feelings of being excluded.

NARRATION:
And key information on how AI impacts these people will be missing from the evidence.

PANEL 40

The woman in glasses struggles to get a disordered pile of papers into the vertical paper press.

NARRATION:
It may be made easy to read..

PANEL 41

The press breaks, sending papers shooting out to the right side, past the startled woman in glasses.

NARRATION:
But gaps in the evidence will distort the decision making process.

PANEL 42

The female researcher in the green blouse wears an anxious expression as she tries to hold together a set of ripped and muddled papers.

PANEL 43

The two newsreaders lean in towards each other, concentrating closely on the discussion.

FEMALE NEWSREADER:
This is why an evidence review is so important.

NARRATION:
The gaps and issues highlighted by the evidence review can guide researchers to improve the way they carry out their work..

PANEL 44

Another view of the steep mountain path, but now a huge arrow-shaped sign reads ‘THIS WAY!’, guiding the three researchers as they make their way forward.

NARRATION:
So they are more able to reach people, especially those whose voices most need to inform evidence.

PANEL 45

The researchers reach the top of the mountain, where they join a smiling crowd of people. Among them are the silver, brown, and red haired women, the woman wearing a blue headscarf, and the man in the varsity jacket.

NARRATION:
Everyone should be invited to talk about AI, because it impacts us all.

PANEL 46

Papers full of information about the public’s thoughts and feelings on AI cascade down.

NARRATION:
Good quality evidence on public opinion is needed to make good decisions.

PANEL 47

The pages neatly pile on top of each other into the arms of the woman in glasses.

PANEL 48

The metal press squeezes the pages together.

NARRATION:
So that AI’s role in society can be one for good..

PANEL 49

A folder titled ‘EVIDENCE REVIEW’ is filled with the compressed papers full of information.

NARRATION:
And for the many.. Not just the few.

PANEL 50

The woman in glasses hands the folder to the female newsreader. The two women share wide smiles with each other.

PANEL 51

The female newsreader rests the folder on her lap, as she waves goodbye to the audience. The male newsreader holds the papers from the table again, and they both smile.

FEMALE NEWSREADER:
Thank you for reading!

NARRATION:
For more information on the Public Voices in AI research findings, project aims, funders, and collaborators, visit: tinyurl.com/public-voices-in-ai

CREDITS:

“Let’s Talk About AI”
Artwork by Kitty McEwan.
Written by Susan Oman and Kitty McEwan.

Typeface by Nate Piekos.

This webtoon was created by the artists, by hand, with no use of AI. Support indie comic creators!

Find more of Kitty’s work at: kittymcewan.co.uk, Instagram: @midnakit

© Kitty McEwan, 2025

All rights reserved. No part of this webtoon may be used without written permission of the copyright owner. Any use of this work to train generative AI is expressly prohibited.