Synthetic Interactions: Rethinking Design Through AI and Robotics

Exhibition overview

The Synthetic Interactions exhibition showcased a compelling encounter between design, creative technology, artificial intelligence, and robotics. The exhibition featured three interactive installations that encouraged visitors to critically engage with the ways technology shapes perception, representation, and societal norms.

GO2+ presence immediately caught the attention of visitors with its playful and uncanny presence. This project reappropriates a robot dog, transforming it into a modular robotic furniture system. By extending and modifying the machine, the designers invite a rethinking of product design as a living, responsive entity. The dog-like movement of the robot sparked curiosity and amusement, prompting reflections on human–nonhuman coexistence and how robotics might merge with everyday environments in the near future.

Tangible Algorithm offered a more contemplative experience. It features three drawing machines analyzing a collection of images through metadata extraction, object recognition, and classification—ultimately deciding whether the content should be censored. As visitors observed this process, many were struck by the authority given to algorithms in determining acceptable visual content. The installation raised critical questions about the interplay between machine “common sense,” aesthetic judgement, and the subtle enforcement of societal norms, particularly in the realm of photography and visual culture.

Echoes of Exclusion projected the biases embedded within AI systems into the exhibition space. Using an AI image-recognition service to interpret portraits of visitors, the installation revealed the ways in which automated systems can misrepresent identities, reproduce stereotypes, and perpetuate discrimination. For many attendees, this work served as a striking reminder of the need to address the ethical implications of synthetic intelligences, especially regarding representation and visibility.

Throughout the exhibition, visitors were active participants—touching, interacting, scanning, and engaging directly with the installations. This hands-on experience brought to light how technological systems not only influence but also mediate our perceptions of reality, identity, and society.

By showcasing Swiss creative practices in Japan, Synthetic Interactions opened a vibrant dialogue about the future of interaction design. The exhibition invited audiences to reflect critically on the promises and pitfalls of synthetic intelligences and consider how these systems shape the world we inhabit—both today and tomorrow.

Opening Ceremony and Highlights

The vernissage of Synthetic Interactions, the fifth chapter of the Swissnex Window exhibition series, brought together a curious and engaged audience for an evening at the intersection of design, artificial intelligence, and robotics. Highlights of the evening included insightful talks by Dr. Serena Cangiano (Head of Digital Fabrication Lab, SUPSI), Alice Mioni (Interaction Designer, SUPSI), Sophie Sprugasci (Graphic & Interaction Designer), who shared the creative intentions and research driving the works. From robotic furniture prototypes to machine-learning-powered censorship systems, the projects sparked conversations around algorithmic bias, human-machine relationships, and the future of interactive design.