Product and furniture design students from Istituto Marangoni Milano Design worked on a project for Design Week 2026, in collaboration with Alessi, imagining AI as physical objects rather than apps or interfaces.

Instead of giving you information, these objects respond through light, movement or small changes in behaviour, more like a presence in the room than a tool.

The proposals go in quite different directions, from objects that react to emotional states to others that reinterpret everyday rituals like waking up or memory.

There’s a range of ideas in there, all with their own take. If you’re curious, there’s more to explore: https://www.istitutomarangoni.com/en/alessi-design-week-2026