ID Students Explore AI’s Impact on Design Practice Through Milan Immersion
June 20, 2025
The Institute of Design’s SDL (formerly MDM) immersion program takes master’s students beyond the classroom to explore global challenges through futures thinking—a methodology for systematically exploring possible future scenarios. A complement to the SDL’s remote learning that builds community and global networks, the program is open to all ID students and offers intensive week-long experiences that transform how emerging design leaders approach today’s most complex challenges.
Design in the Era of Generative AI
The spring 2025 immersion explored ways that emerging technologies might evolve and reshape design practice. Through intensive workshops and site visits across Milan, students experienced a design culture that spans fashion, furniture, and systems while maintaining both user-centered focus and beautiful craftsmanship.
At Design Group Italia, a leading design consultancy working across multiple industries, students explored the firm’s approach to design and generative AI. Students also visited Logotel, where they learned how the company approaches service design and business innovation by empathizing with emerging possibilities.
A visit to Triennale Milano, the renowned art and design museum, immersed students in Milan’s design culture and history. At Fondazione Achille Castiglioni, dedicated to one of Italy’s premier industrial designers, students explored Castiglioni’s atelier and witnessed firsthand how creative vision translates into iconic products.
Throughout the week, speakers addressed key topics including AI ethics, HR implications, and agent AI applications. Featured speakers included Albert Shum, ID Advisor and former Corporate VP of Design at Microsoft; Marzia Aricò, Founder of Design Mavericks; and Luca Mascaro, Founder and President of Sketchin.
Working with “surprising signals of change” as their approach, student teams examined how current technological shifts might take root and flourish in unexpected ways. They grappled with complex questions around human agency in AI regulation, exploring how much human control remains viable in governing artificial intelligence.
Design Leadership in Practice
The immersions serve as laboratories for design leadership practice, allowing students to apply classroom learning within diverse international teams. Rather than following prescribed roles, participants emerge as facilitators and leaders, embodying real-world design leadership principles.
In fall 2025, the program will return to Chicago, then head back to Milan in spring 2026. As global challenges grow increasingly complex, ID’s immersion program offers students invaluable preparation for navigating uncertainty while imagining new possibilities.