This talk explores how laypeople and experts in Japan assess the role of technology in a desirable future. It will introduce two separate studies, spotlighting perceptions on two different streams of technology with two different stakeholder groups: laypeoples’ perceptions of generative artificial intelligence (genAI) and experts’ perspectives on cybernetic avatar (CA) technology. Both studies draw on a Research through Design (RtD) inspired Futuring approach, carried out through workshop formats. RtD refers to generating knowledge through the act of designing, while Futuring broadly refers to a set of approaches to strategically think about future developments and their (social) implications. This talk spotlights how the role of technology is anticipated by different stakeholders in Japan and sheds light on attitudes and values driving these socio-technical imaginations. Details and registration here