Designing a good story for better policies: Entrepreneurship at the crossroads of AI-powered visual storytelling and sensemaking

Abstract

Sensemaking and AI image generators can contribute as visual storytelling tools to a better comprehension of the life-worlds of entrepreneurs in policymaking. There is doubt about whether policymakers productively understand entrepreneurial realities for the sake of implementing decisions that help startups. Using entrepreneurial journeys of 18 startups in six countries, weak-signal triads and image prompts were derived from shared stories in order to visualize entrepreneurial realities. The advantage of visual storytelling materializes in the cognitive ease that narrative schemas yield. Results indicate that AI generated visuals, e.g. storyboards, depict compelling realities regarding story elements such as character and setting clearly, yet they hardly illustrate the dynamics thereof (e.g. conflict resolution), while triads help understand entrepreneurial priorities. The project showcases the potential of tech-driven visualization, suggesting that visual arts can help the public understand untold stories that drive, among others, entrepreneurial solutions, provided that the dynamics be presented clearly.