Samsung just opened its "Design is an Act of Love" exhibition at Milan Design Week 2026, and it's not your typical product showcase. Running through April 26 at Superstudio Più, the 12-zone immersive experience offers the clearest look yet at how the tech giant plans to weave AI into everyday living - from foldable Galaxy devices to transparent speakers and 130-inch displays. With over 120 products spanning 36 categories, Samsung is making a bold statement about design philosophy in the AI era.
Samsung is betting big on a design philosophy that puts human emotion at the center of artificial intelligence. The company's newly opened exhibition at Milan Design Week 2026 represents a significant shift in how the Korean tech giant talks about its product ecosystem - less about specs and speeds, more about how AI adapts to the messy reality of human life.
"Design should reflect the diversity of humanity - embracing different lifestyles, values and ways people live," Mauro Porcini, Samsung's President and Chief Design Officer, told attendees at the exhibition opening. "It's not only about creating products, but about shaping experiences that feel relevant, personal and meaningful in everyday life."
The 12-zone experience inside Samsung's Design Open Lab at Superstudio Più functions as part product showcase, part design manifesto. But the real story is Samsung's attempt to define what human-centered AI actually means when competitors like Apple and Google are racing to embed intelligence into everything.
At the heart of Samsung's pitch is a formula: AI x (EI+HI). Translation? Artificial intelligence multiplied by emotional intelligence and human intention. It's Samsung's way of saying the tech is only as good as the empathy and imagination guiding it - a direct counter to the "AI-first" messaging dominating the industry.
The Welcome Show zone kicks things off with a coordinated display that demonstrates Samsung's vision for unified AI across devices and environments. It's a glimpse at how personal AI on your phone could seamlessly communicate with shared AI in your living room or kitchen - the kind of ambient computing Amazon has been chasing with Alexa for years.
But Samsung's execution leans heavily into visual storytelling. The Unfold Your Story zone puts Galaxy's foldable lineup front and center, exploring how the form factor adapts to different lifestyles through color, shape and interface design. It's a not-so-subtle reminder that Samsung still leads the foldable market while competitors struggle to ship competing devices at scale.
The Transparent Symphony and All That Music zones showcase what might be Samsung's most striking hardware concepts: transparent speakers and screens featuring the new Music Studio 5 and 7 systems. According to Samsung Design materials, these installations translate "analog emotion into cohesive digital experience" - marketing speak that actually makes sense when you see transparent OLED panels blending into physical spaces.
Then there's the jaw-dropper: two completely different design expressions of a 130-inch Micro RGB display, built on identical breakthrough technology. One skews minimalist and refined, the other bold and expressive. Samsung is making a point here - that personalization isn't just software customization, it's about hardware that reflects individual taste from the start.
The Artful Living zone demonstrates this philosophy with the S95H OLED TV, which uses AI-enabled storytelling to transform screens into "expressive mediums of personality, culture and emotion." Think less passive display, more dynamic canvas that adapts content presentation based on context and viewer preference.
What's conspicuously absent? Hard product announcements or launch dates. Samsung is positioning this as an "open laboratory" - exploration rather than declaration. It's a safe play that lets the company test market reaction to concepts without committing to shipping timelines.
The Wearable & Culinary Intelligence zone extends the AI discussion into personal health devices and connected kitchen environments, though details remain thin. Samsung has historically struggled to compete with Apple in wearables despite its Galaxy Watch line, so any AI differentiation here could prove crucial.
The exhibition wraps with The Goodbye Show, where visitors experience what Samsung calls "natural, AI-driven interactions" through a sensory performance combining music, light and touch. It's designed to demonstrate emotional connection - Samsung's ultimate goal for its AI ecosystem.
The exhibition's timing is strategic. Milan Design Week draws global design influencers, press and industry leaders at a moment when consumer enthusiasm for AI features is starting to plateau. Samsung needs to prove its AI isn't just another chatbot or image generator - it's a fundamental rethinking of how devices understand and respond to human needs.
Whether that message resonates beyond Milan's design community remains to be seen. Samsung has talked about human-centered innovation for over 30 years, according to Porcini. But translating philosophy into products people actually want to buy is harder than building an immersive exhibition.
The free exhibition runs through April 26, with varying hours throughout the week. Samsung is clearly hoping the design world's tastemakers will spread the gospel of emotionally intelligent AI - and that consumers will follow.
Samsung's Milan exhibition is ultimately a high-stakes gamble on reframing the AI conversation. While competitors race to pack more intelligence into devices, Samsung is arguing that emotional resonance matters more than raw capability. The proof won't be in the Milano installations or design awards - it'll be whether consumers connect with products that actually ship. For now, Samsung has delivered a compelling vision. Turning that vision into market-leading products that justify the "design is an act of love" tagline is the real test ahead.
