Key Takeaways

**Meeting Takeaways: Samsung’s CES 2026 Tech Forum**

**Event:** CES 2026 Tech Forum
**Date:** January 9, 2026
**Location:** The First Look space at The Wynn Las Vegas
**Moderator:** Debbie Millman, host of “Design Matters”
**Panelists:** Mauro Porcini (Samsung Chief Design Officer), Karim Rashid, Fabio Novembre

### Key Themes and Insights:

1. **Future of Design:**
– The panel emphasized the need to evolve beyond minimalism in tech design, encouraging a shift towards warmer and more expressive technologies.
– Designers discussed the importance of creating emotionally resonant experiences in the current AI landscape.

2. **People-First Design:**
– Design should prioritize human needs and experiences over purely functional specifications, addressing the uniformity seen in current tech design.
– Samsung aims to integrate technology into daily life thoughtfully, enhancing user experiences.

3. **Humanity in Technology:**
– Technology should visibly reflect intention, care, and humanity, encouraging users to see the thoughtfulness in products.
– Porcini articulated Samsung’s mission to enhance lives through meaningful technology that supports wellbeing and creativity.

4. **AI and Human Values:**
– AI should be guided by Emotional Intelligence (EI) and Human Imagination (HI) to unlock its full potential.
– Porcini proposed the formula “AI × (EI + HI)” to represent this balance in design and innovation.

5. **Expressive Design:**
– There is a growing need for expressive design that incorporates emotion, self-expression, and connection, transitioning from designing mere objects to crafting meaningful experiences.
– Fabio Novembre highlighted that the ultimate goal of design is to bring happiness and that design must regain its central importance.

### Conclusion:
The discussion reinforced the idea that technology should actively enhance and shape human experiences, leading to more meaningful designs that reflect individual identities and emotions. The panelists collectively advocated for a future where design is central to human connection and wellbeing, pushing the boundaries of traditional tech design.

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Summary of Samsung Reimagines the Future of Design at CES 2026, Guiding Technology for Humanity

 

Samsung Electronics, Co., Ltd. today held the final session in its CES 2026 Tech Forum series, “The Human Side of Tech: Designing a Future Worth Living,” at Samsung’s The First Look space at The Wynn Las Vegas. The panel, moderated by Debbie Millman, host of “Design Matters,” featured Samsung Chief Design Officer Mauro Porcini and industry-leading designers Karim Rashid and Fabio Novembre.

 

With minimalism having defined the visual language of the tech industry for the past two decades, this panel of designers convened by Samsung asked: What comes next? Together, the panelists explored how warmer, more expressive and emotionally resonant technology can shape meaningful experiences in today’s AI era, while also charting a path forward for the industry.

 

 

Design as an Act of Love

The session covered a shared view on the purpose of design as fundamentally people-first. “In recent years, design in tech has been somewhat uniform,” said moderator Debbie Millman. “Compared to other industries, the uniformity in the world of tech is an anomaly. So what if we were to extend technology beyond specifications and functionality?”

 

Samsung is currently addressing this question by focusing on how technology fits into people’s lives, experiences and needs. The panelists discussed the growing importance of this mindset in the current landscape in which traditional barriers to entry such as access to tools, scale and technical capability continue to diminish.

 

 

The Human Side of Tech

 

The discussion highlighted technology’s role in making intention, care and humanity visible in everyday life. Panelists noted that technology should help people recognise the thoughtfulness embedded in the products they invite into their homes and routines.

 

In this context, Samsung Chief Design Officer Mauro Porcini shared Samsung’s design purpose: to enhance everyday lives through meaningful technology. He outlined the company’s commitment to help people through advanced technologies that support wellbeing, creativity and self-expression.

 

Panelist Karim Rashid added to this sentiment, saying, “When we think about physical things in our world, we think not only about diversity of choice but also the fact that we can develop strong connections to objects,” he said. “Through design, you can end up with a very powerful, emotional connection with inanimate objects, or even products.”

 

 

Designing for Human Values

The panel went on to explore how AI can unlock new possibilities for expression when shaped by human values. Panelists discussed a shared view that AI reaches its true potential when guided by Emotional Intelligence and Human Imagination, not as a replacement for human creativity but as a force that expands it.

 

CDO Porcini articulated this with “AI × (EI + HI),” his approach to balancing Emotional Intelligence and Human Imagination to bring meaning to innovation. While describing this philosophy, CDO Porcini said, “When we design and develop, AI is amplified by Emotional Intelligence and Human Imagination. “Then, when people use products, AI amplifies Emotional Intelligence and Human Imagination.”

 

Through these insights, the session reinforced the belief that technology is shaping people’s lives in increasingly new and meaningful ways.

 

 

Expressive Design Drives More Meaningful Experiences

 

 

The discussion reinforced the importance of expressive design in bringing human-centered purpose to life, creating experiences that reflect emotion, support self-expression, invite connection and stimulate imagination.

 

“Happiness is the aim of design,” said Fabio Novembre. “Our pursuit of happiness is through design. I strongly believe in design, and that it must move back to the centre of the stage.”

 

Panelists noted that this reflects a shift from merely designing objects to designing experiences where emotion, meaning and identity are increasingly integral to how people relate to technology. This approach inspires a new kind of expression, resulting in designs that range from subtle and minimal to bold and imaginative — all meant to shape a better future.

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