MANUFACTURING – Philippe Starck doesn’t
own a computer. Still, that didn’t stop him
from being the visionary behind (purport-
edly) the world’s first commercial design
object conceived by artificial intelligence.
Working with generative software from CAD
software giant Autodesk, the French designer
produced a ground-breaking chair for Italian
furniture company Kartell.
According to Starck, he, Kartell and
Autodesk tasked the algorithm with working
out how best to accommodate the human
form while using the least amount of mate-
rial. They fed certain information – like the
intended shape and technical parameters
Together, not against:
Philippe Starck COLLABORATES
WITH AI on a pioneering chair
of the injection moulding process – to the
program. Then, the collaborators stood by
as the feedback renders eventually morphed
into the final piece, the A.I. chair.
It’s worth noting that many of the
program’s early prototypes looked far
beyond what’d ever be suitable for human
comfort. For many years now, people have
been questioning what threat artificial intel-
ligence poses to their respective industries
and the jobs within them. The A.I. chair
reflects Starck’s optimism in this area,
though: he sees human collaboration with
AI agents as a chance to foster innovation,
a sort of liberation from creative constraints(of the mortal variety, at least). Indeed, the
slick, simple chair that was unveiled dur-
ing Milan Design Week 2019 required a fair
amount of intervention to create.
There will be a day when AI’s design
thinking comes more naturally, but every
great protégé certainly begs a teacher. The
real question remains: How far are – and
should we be – willing to go in training the
student? – LGM
starck.com
autodesk.com
kartell.comSim
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