Is “sentient design” meaningful, or just another tech buzzword?

Design is often described today through words like responsive, intelligent, immersive or even “sentient.” The idea is that objects are no longer just static things we shape and use. With AI, robotics, sensors, smart materials and immersive systems, some objects can respond, environments can adapt, and surfaces can anticipate behaviour. This was one of the themes behind Sentient Horizons 2026 – Design Awakens, a recent talk organized by Istituto Marangoni Milano Design at Spazio Lenovo Milano, with speakers