ResponsibleAI researchyou can act on.
§ 001 — Premise
Forth Story is a responsible AI research studio that bridges the depth of academic research with the demands of now.
We believe that the people who are impacted by AI should have a say in how it is being designed, developed and deployed. If you believe that too - you're in the right place. Meaningful responsible AI research demands more than a usability test or a standard user interview can offer. It requires methods that go deeper, reach further, and include the people most often left out. Whether you're building AI in industry, adopting it in the public sector, or navigating the complex space in between - we help you explore how AI lands in real people's lives.
§ 002 — Why Forth Story
Two founders,
two bridges.
Tara Capel
- PhD Human-Computer Interaction
- MSc Information Technology
- BA Journalism
Cara Wilson
- PhD Human-Computer Interaction
- MSc Psychology
- BA Hons. Business and Languages
We are Dr Tara Capel and Dr Cara Wilson. We met in Brisbane, Australia, while completing our PhDs in Human-Computer Interaction — and built a friendship around a shared conviction: that the people most affected by technology are too rarely the people who shape it.
We named our research studio after two bridges: the Forth Rail Bridge in Edinburgh, where we now live and work, and the Story Bridge in Brisbane, where we met. Both bridges connect things that need connecting. So do we — academia and industry, research rigour and practical action, and, importantly, the organisations building technology and the people living with it.
§ 003 — Who We Work With
Who we
work with.
For a combined 20 years, we have been researching across the sectors where technology’s impact on people matters most — from healthcare, the public sector and education to financial services, insurance, and employment. Across all of it, we bring inclusive co-design methods to research that has real stakes for real people.
For AI Makers
You’re building something that will affect real people.
You want to do it responsibly — but responsible AI research is not a usability test. It’s understanding how people actually experience AI: how they trust it, use it, misunderstand it, and how and when it might be helping or failing them. Our research sits at the intersection of HCI, AI, and design — giving us genuine depth where most UX research stays surface-level. We work with technology companies, AI startups, regulated industries, and research teams who need findings rigorous enough for regulators, investors, and the communities they serve.
We can help you if you’re, for example:
- 01Building or evaluating an AI product or feature
- 02Integrating AI into an existing service
- 03Seeking credible evidence of responsible, human-centred AI development
For AI Adopters
You’re adopting technology that will change how you serve people.
Whether you work in a mission-driven organisation, a regulated industry, or a private sector company — you need to know that the tools you implement actually work for everyone who will use them, especially those with most at stake. Our background is in designing research with people that standard methods fail to reach: minimally-verbal children, neurodiverse adults, older people, displaced communities, people with complex communication needs. We bring rigour and care to evaluating and researching technology in the organisations that serve them.
We can help you if you’re, for example:
- 01Evaluating technology for use with vulnerable or marginalised groups
- 02Co-designing a digital service with communities
- 03Implementing AI tools in health, education, or care settings
- 04Needing credible evidence of inclusive, ethical technology adoption
§ 004 — Our Services
Our
Services
Tailorable research packages across our services — for organisations building AI responsibly, and for those embedding it responsibly. Every package is grounded in rigorous, human-centred methods and leads with the people most affected.
Responsible AI research is our specialism, but we also apply our creative and speculative methods across other technological and societal contexts.
→Find out more about our servicesStream 01 — Creating AI Responsibly
For AI makers
Stream 02 — Embedding AI Responsibly
For AI adopters
§ 005 — Case Studies
Case Studies
Each case study examines a different context in which AI intersects with human experience - and shows what rigorous, creative, participatory, human-centred research reveals that standard methods miss. While responsible AI research is our specialism, we also use our creative and speculative methods across a range of other technological and societal contexts.
→View the full index