Artificial Objects is a research and design project that uses play to explore how generative artificial intelligence can supercharge the creative process. Although focused on industrial design, the findings can be equally applied to fashion design and architectural design.


The objects within this project were created using various AI models that were trained in 20th century industrial design. They were visually taught about different materials like bent plywood and tubular steel; about different structural forms like cantilevers and molded plastics; they were even taught about different art forms like cubism and surrealism. Like a perfect student, the AI models quickly became experts in these design principles, understanding the world only through materiality, sculpture, and furniture. An apple is a chair. A banana is a table.
With these very specific conditions in place, we began prompting the AI via text with a long list of bespoke ideas, generating hundreds of our human concepts into visual iterations. From the nonsensical—chairs made out of origami and sofas made out of jello—to the more serious such as reimagining disabled furniture with considered aesthetics.




From there, a back and forth, or a “dialogue”, set off as we continuously communicated with the AI to refine the ideas until we were pleased with the results.

The final stage would be passing these generated sketches back to the hands of human designers and engineers who can use them as a conceptual basis to assist in modeling real world material objects.

What we’ve learned from this process is that the best role for AI is as a tool that can help us imagine new ways to bring our ideas to life. But like any tool, it is only as good as the teacher or designer who is working with it. It’s up to you to educate the AI in your own expertise, values, and aesthetics. It’s up to you to imagine possibilities. It’s up to you edit and curate those iterations and it’s definitely up to you to figure out how to use those ideas and bring them into the real world via engineering and design expertise.  
Approaching the artificial intelligence this way, as a device for visual exploration, allows us to not depend on it for our creativity or to omit the human element—the aspect of AI that ignites the most fear but instead as a helpful iterative tool that allows us supercharge the creative process, assisting in bringing our ideas to life in continuously more interesting ways.

Artificial Objects © 2024 by JOAN Design is attributed under Creative Commons BY-NC 4.0
Artificial Objects © 2024 byJOAN Design is attributed under Creative Commons BY-NC 4.0





A research and design project that uses artificial intelligence to imagine everyday objects in extraordinary ways.
Created and curated by JOAN Design in New York City.
Attributed under Creative Commons BY-NC 4.0

 Learn About The Project