Samsung explores the human side of technology for Milan Design Week 2026
‘Design, at its core, is an act of love,,” asserts Mauro Porcini, President and Director of Design at Samsung Electronics, in a designboom interview. At Milan Design Week 2026Samsung brings this vision to life through an exhibition that redefines the human side of technology in our lives. The brand invites Design Week visitors to an exhibition where technology is a warm, living participant in the human experience. Focusing the space on the human side of technology, the exhibition reframes technology as enabling more expressive, meaningful lifestyles.
Mauro Porcini explains the Samsung Design Open Lab at Milan Design Week 2026
Samsung Open Lab presents the new vision of the human side of technology
Eschewing glossy showcases of finished products, the brand opens the door to its creative process Samsung design Open Lab. This transparent window into their design ideation and innovation invites visitors into the inner thinking rather than just the end result. It acts as a bridge between speculative concepts and commercial reality, proving that the journey of discovery is as vital as the product.
‘I want visitors to feel the same excitement I felt when I first walked into Samsung and gained access to the incredible experiments and ideas happening behind the scenes. You don’t just see what we made: you begin to understand why we do it, the questions we ask and the tensions we explore,“, explains Mauro.
interactive conceptual devices explore the emotional connection between humans and artificial intelligence
immersive journey of artificial intelligence and emotions presented by samsung
The exhibition unfolds as a multi-sensory experience, beginning with an emotional dialogue on multiple devices. The show represents Samsung’s vision for artificial intelligence. Set to Over the Horizon, the signature sound of Samsung’s Galaxy brand, this interaction orchestrates a suite of products. Together, they connect different devices and experiences in a seamless flow, diverse, expressive, but also in perfect harmony.
‘Operationally, it shows how hardware, software and artificial intelligence combine into seamless, meaningful systems,”, explains the President and Chief Design Officer of Samsung Electronics. ‘Emotionally, the journey evolves from wonder to connection. Technology feels alive, less like something you use and more like something that understands you, supports your rituals, and enhances the way you live.‘
The ‘Unfold Your Story’ zone at the Samsung Design Open Lab
Samsung posits a radical new formula: AI × (EI + HI), where Artificial Intelligence is used to enhance Emotional Intelligence and Human Imagination. This mindset shifts the smart home to the meaningful home, where technology moves forward only to unlock human potential. Rejecting homogeneity, the brand embraces a new era where form and function follow meaning, reflecting the beautiful diversity of the people who use it.
“Technology is progressively evolving in a direction where form and function follow meaning. Historically, design was defined by “form follows function,” a rigid approach that shaped much of industrial design. Today, that rigidity is breaking down,” adds Mauro.
Culinary experiences with artificial intelligence to support physical and emotional well-being
As the report concludes, the lasting impact is not to be found in a particular gadget, but in a shift in perspective. Samsung sees this Milan presence not as a conclusion, but as a moment in an ongoing journey. The brand champions a future where technology dissolves as a cold category and emerges as a means of emotion, empathy and imagination.
‘If visitors leave believing that technology has the potential to truly serve humanity, then we have done something important. We want them to feel that technology was not the protagonist of the space, but a means to create emotions and serve humanity,”, concludes Mauro Porcini, President and Chief Design Officer of Samsung Electronics, in an interview with designboom.
