Juan Sebastian Alejandro Martinez Ruiz

Convergence is the name of a chair I created to explore the merging of AI and human ingenuity. The project is based on the idea that while AI can define "good design," it cannot comprehend what makes design good, as it lacks human understanding and aesthetic awareness. An examination of the craftsmanship involved in designing and creating a chair demonstrates the importance of the tangible in a world saturated with technology. It reveals the need for physical interaction with objects and showcases the extensive handiwork and decision making involved in the process of creation. Nevertheless, I saw a role for AI in the development and production of my design.

I trained a custom artificial intelligence GAN model (similar to what DALL·E and Midjourney use) on the basis of my previous work. With that model, I generated 1,000 concepts, which I cut down to 100. From those I selected three concepts that I could see myself making. I combined these three into a single design by modeling it in 3D space. I then iterated on it a number of times, applying my design ethos: I must be able to build it myself, it must support weight, it must be flat-pack, it must be distinctive, and it must be ergonomic.

I created the chair by combining traditional woodworking methods with digital manufacturing techniques, in much the same way I merged human creativity with artificial intelligence.