From Fiction to Forensics: Mitigating the Digital CSI Effect Through Interactive Workshops on Artificial Intelligence and 3D Crime Scene Reconstruction

Abstract

Background/Objectives: Fictional portrayals of criminal investigation have long inflated public expectations of forensic science, in a phenomenon known as the CSI effect. As artificial intelligence, data science and three-dimensional reconstruction enter operational policing, that distortion extends into what we term the Digital CSI effect. This study examines how narrative-driven, interactive science communication can recalibrate such expectations while building technological and ethical literacy among adult audiences. Methods: Using a descriptive multiple-case design, we examined four deliveries of two workshops involving 98 adult participants across three audience types: general public, law enforcement practitioners and trainees, and postgraduate students. Workshop 1 addressed web scraping and data visualisation in homicide investigation, together with their legal and ethical limits. Workshop 2 introduced artificial intelligence and 3D crime scene reconstruction in an immersive virtual environment. Four propositions were formulated before delivery and examined at each case against facilitator observation, question-and-answer sessions and open-ended written feedback. Results: Participants reported increased familiarity with the demonstrated technologies and more realistic expectations of what those technologies can deliver. Unrealistic assumptions about the speed and clarity of evidence interpretation surfaced repeatedly, particularly among audiences without investigative experience, and were addressed directly during the sessions. Participants valued tailored content, hands-on interaction and narrative framing, and identified orientation in the virtual environment as the main practical barrier. Conclusions: Narrative-centred, interactive workshops offer a practical and transferable mechanism for mitigating the Digital CSI effect and for building ethical awareness among adult learners in and around forensic practice.