Robots, AI, and Making Courageous Futures

IDEO has been in the emerging tech game since we designed Apple’s first commercial mouse more than 40 years ago.

Since then, we’ve designed the future of everything from kitchens to jet planes to entire school systems. This year, IDEO’s Emerging Tech Lab brought together future-makers to experiment with us in a series of events across Cambridge, Chicago, and San Francisco. Together—and with our AI agents—we experienced evenings filled with compelling conversations, hands-on activities, and five talismans to fuel new ideas.

One of the highlights? The San Francisco Hub's fireside chat between Tim Brown and Alexander Reben, the first artist-in-residence at OpenAI. We’re sharing it here in case you missed it.

More Great Moments From the Series

IDEOers and their guests in Cambridge, Chicago, and San Francisco interacted with gallery exhibits, built manifestos with the help of AI, learned about how designers and artists shape tech (and vice versa), and made new connections with each other.

A group of people is gathered in the IDEO building in Cambridge. The central figure is a woman holding and looking through a red View-Master, smiling with excitement. Around her, others are watching or engaged in different activities: a woman with curly hair stands to the left, a man in a grey jacket and red tie looks down at his phone, another woman with short hair and glasses smiles with her arms crossed, and a woman with long red hair stands to the right, also smiling. The background is bright with various displays and decorations.
The IDEO team prepares for the Cambridge event.
A group of people is standing in a dimly lit room, watching a projection on a large screen. The projection shows an animated or illustrated scene featuring a large, mechanical, four-legged walker on a barren, otherworldly landscape. The silhouettes of the observers are visible, with some of them standing with arms crossed and others with hands on their chins, indicating they are engaged and attentive to the presentation. The overall atmosphere suggests a contemplative or educational setting.
Participants watch IDEOer Jason Robinson’s immersive generative video installation.
A group of people is standing in a line, leaning against a wall with large, colorful posters displayed behind them. The posters feature vibrant images and titles such as "Eve's Apple" and "Parrot." The individuals are casually dressed and appear to be engaged in a relaxed conversation or observation, holding drinks in their hands. The setting suggests an exhibition or social event, with a modern and bright indoor environment. The atmosphere is informal and friendly, with attendees interacting and enjoying the displayed artwork or information.
The Cambridge crowd enjoys the programming.
A man is standing at a table, DJing with a laptop and a turntable setup. He is wearing a black cap with a logo and headphones. The laptop is open, displaying the Apple logo, and he appears focused on mixing music. In front of him is a small sign that reads "AI JAMS" with instructions for event attendees to help shape the final hour of the event by filling out a prompt card and dropping it in the box below. The table also has a small vase with yellow flowers and a roll of tape. The background includes a brick wall and a window, indicating an indoor setting.
In Chicago, Nico Gibson generates (and spins) tunes based on crowd input.
A woman with long dark hair and glasses is speaking into a retro-style payphone mounted on a wall. She is wearing a white, short-sleeved, polka-dot shirt and a backpack with brown straps. The payphone has a note taped to it that reads "TRY ME (Wait for it)". In the background, there is an orange wall with text explaining the purpose of the exhibit. A lamp with a beige shade and a glass-walled room with office furniture are visible in the background, indicating an indoor exhibition or interactive display setting.
A participant at the Chicago event uses IDEOer Dave Vondle’s phone to the future.
A group of people is seated and facing a series of large, colorful posters on a wall. The posters feature vibrant images and titles such as "THE TWEE-ZER," showing a close-up of tweezers holding a crystal, "PARROT," depicting a brightly colored parrot, and "THE HOT DOG," illustrating a hot dog with toppings. The attendees are viewed from behind and appear to be listening attentively, indicating an educational or presentation setting. The room is decorated with silver streamers, adding a festive touch to the environment. The atmosphere suggests an engaging and visually stimulating event or lecture.
The Chicago crowd takes a look at the evening’s five themes.
A person is standing in an exhibition space, looking through a red View-Master. The individual is wearing a black dress and jeans, with a lanyard around their neck. In front of them are two white pedestals with more red View-Masters on top. Behind them are two large posters: one on the left displays various images in a circular pattern resembling a View-Master reel with the title "IDEO," and the other on the right is titled "USING AI TO SEE THE (RETRO) FUTURE" and contains text explaining the exhibit. The room has a modern, minimalist design with a dark wall and concrete floor.
Jenna Fizel checks out a custom stereoscopic reel created entirely by generative AI, which an IDEO team used as part of a workshop to help downtown Washington, DC stakeholders imagine more divergent futures.  
A large group of people is seated in a modern conference room, raising their hands in response to a speaker. The speaker stands at a podium on the right side of the room, with a large screen behind her displaying an image of two children, one running with the caption "Move fast on this one" and the other examining something with a magnifying glass with the caption "Slow down to see more." The room is well-lit with ceiling lights and additional studio lights set up. The audience is engaged and attentive, creating an interactive and dynamic atmosphere. The room has a clean, professional design with white walls and a carpeted floor.
Wendy Wang shares IDEO Play Lab’s foundational research on Gen Z’s attitudes about GenAI, and how they want it to show up in the products they use.
A group of people is gathered around a long table in a well-lit, modern kitchen setting. They are wearing silver masquerade masks and serving themselves food from a buffet. The table is filled with various condiments and toppings, including ketchup, mustard, and relish bottles prominently displayed. Some individuals are adding toppings to hot dogs in paper trays. The atmosphere is lively and social, with people interacting and enjoying the event. In the background, more attendees are visible, and there is a large potted plant adding a touch of greenery to the bright and open space.
The crowd in San Francisco enjoys a variety of hot dogs, one of the themes of the evening.
A group of people is gathered around a long table in a well-lit, modern kitchen setting. They are wearing silver masquerade masks and serving themselves food from a buffet. The table is filled with various condiments and toppings, including ketchup, mustard, and relish bottles prominently displayed. Some individuals are adding toppings to hot dogs in paper trays. The atmosphere is lively and social, with people interacting and enjoying the event. In the background, more attendees are visible, and there is a large potted plant adding a touch of greenery to the bright and open space.
Martin Sawtell, XR Director at Dell, sets up his real-time stable diffusion system at the Cambridge event.
A group of people is gathered around a long table in a well-lit, modern kitchen setting. They are wearing silver masquerade masks and serving themselves food from a buffet. The table is filled with various condiments and toppings, including ketchup, mustard, and relish bottles prominently displayed. Some individuals are adding toppings to hot dogs in paper trays. The atmosphere is lively and social, with people interacting and enjoying the event. In the background, more attendees are visible, and there is a large potted plant adding a touch of greenery to the bright and open space.
D. Pillis, a researcher at the MIT Media Lab, built a site-specific installation imagining the future of the workspace in the era of spatial computing, mixing VR, projection, and texts by Sherry Turkle to transform the interior of four phone booths.

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