More than human design

My research explores how design can incorporate a non-human perspective. In a world where technologies such as artificial intelligence are redefining our relationship with the environment around us, how can we design with and for a responsible and sustainable ecosystem of human, artificial, and natural intelligences? What new perspectives might open up for us on this planet?

Climate change, for example, is a phenomenon that is difficult to perceive with our bodies and unfolds across temporal and spatial scales so vast that they escape our senses. At the same time, technological systems such as artificial intelligence are reshaping how we interact with and understand the world, while often remaining opaque and centralized.

This double challenge leads us to a crucial question: can we imagine a technology that does not merely serve human needs, but helps us connect with non-human scales and sensibilities, opening up new possibilities for our collective survival?

In my research, I explore how digital technologies can help us develop a broader ecological sensibility by integrating other forms of life and intelligence into the design process. This means collaborating with different intelligences – not only human and artificial, but also those present in natural ecosystems. One example of this approach is the use of interfaces that allow us to perceive ecological realities at different scales in a more intuitive and inclusive way.

An example is Ripples, a project developed by my students addressing biodiversity loss in the Venice lagoon. In this project, the interface helps people perceive the lagoon and its ecosystem more intuitively, giving voice to often overlooked elements such as mollusks and aquatic plants. The goal is to foster a deep connection with the natural rhythms of soil and water, promoting a way of living in tune with the needs of the lagoon environment.

A project I am currently developing to advance this design thinking is the Design Intelligence Institute, an international research collective exploring how to integrate human, artificial, and natural intelligences to address today’s complex environmental and social challenges.

Another initiative I lead in education is the More Than Human AI lab, which teaches students in the Digital and Interaction Design program to move beyond an exclusively anthropocentric perspective in design. In this course, we explore artificial intelligence not only as a critical and creative tool, but also as an agent and collaborator in the design of regenerative ecosystems, opening up to the perspectives of plants, animals, fungi, and bacteria.

For me, design is not only about creating objects, but about shaping the way we live and interact with the world around us. If we want to address the challenges of our time, we must learn to design with and for a world that goes beyond the human perspective alone.

I invite everyone who shares an interest in these themes to explore my work and join the conversation.

I invite everyone who shares an interest in these themes to explore my work and join the conversation.