Samsung Reimagines the Future of Design at CES 2026, Guiding Technology for Humanity
Las Vegas, January 7, 2026 — At the conclusion of its CES 2026 Tech Forum series, Samsung Electronics spotlighted the profoundly human aspect of technology in a compelling panel discussion titled “The Human Side of Tech: Designing a Future Worth Living.” Held at Samsung’s The First Look space in The Wynn Las Vegas, the session featured an insightful conversation among celebrated design experts including Samsung Chief Design Officer Mauro Porcini, renowned designers Karim Rashid and Fabio Novembre, and was moderated by Debbie Millman, host of the acclaimed design podcast “Design Matters.”
Challenging Two Decades of Minimalism
For the past twenty years, minimalism has dominated the visual language of the tech industry. This panel critically examined what the future holds beyond the spare, uniform design trends that have become the norm. The discussion focused on ushering in a new era where technology not only functions efficiently but also invites warmth, emotional resonance, and meaningful human connection in an increasingly AI-driven world.
Design as a People-First Endeavor
Opening the conversation, Debbie Millman emphasized the rarity of uniformity within tech design compared to other industries, inviting the panel to consider extending technology beyond mere specifications and functionality. Samsung is actively addressing this by intentionally crafting technology that integrates seamlessly into people’s lives, responding to their experiences and needs rather than focusing solely on technical capabilities. The diminishing barriers to innovation, such as access to tools and scale, further underline the importance of this human-centered design approach.
Mauro Porcini articulated Samsung’s design philosophy as one committed to enriching human life quality through meaningful technology designed for people. He outlined the company’s vision to empower individuals to live longer, live better, live louder, and leave a lasting legacy, leveraging advanced technologies that nurture wellbeing, creativity, and self-expression. Supporting this vision, Karim Rashid reflected on the deep emotional bonds people develop with physical objects, noting that design channels this connection, turning even inanimate products into sources of strong personal expression and meaning.
Harnessing AI with Emotional Intelligence and Human Imagination
The panelists further explored how artificial intelligence, when guided by human values, can dramatically expand creative possibilities rather than replace human ingenuity. Porcini introduced his philosophy encapsulated as “AI × (EI + HI),” highlighting the interplay between AI, Emotional Intelligence (EI), and Human Imagination (HI). He explained that AI serves to amplify human emotion and creativity during both the design process and user experience. Porcini reassured the audience not to fear technology but to embrace its potential through humanized guidance and thoughtful shaping.
Creating Expressive Designs for Emotional Engagement
The discussion underscored the rising importance of expressive design in crafting experiences that are not just functional, but profoundly human—evoking emotion, enabling self-expression, inviting connection, and stimulating imagination. Fabio Novembre encapsulated the panel’s sentiment by declaring, “Happiness is the aim of design.” He asserted that design’s mission is to make the impossible possible and advocated for returning design to a central role in shaping human experience.
This transformative approach marks a shift away from designing mere objects toward designing holistic experiences that embody emotion, identity, and meaning. From subtle minimalism to bold imagination, these new design philosophies aspire to create a future that is not only worth living but also worth loving.
Samsung’s CES 2026 Tech Forum thus concluded on a hopeful note, emphasizing that technology must be humanized, continuously guided by empathy and creativity, to serve people’s lives in ways that are deeply meaningful and beneficial.
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