Shaping Shared Worlds: Autonomous Systems and the Design of Future Environments
Events |
“Shaping Shared Worlds: Autonomous Systems and the Design of Future Environments”,
taking place at the IAS, Technical University of Munich on 9–10 September 2026.
The conference is organized by the research project “Embodied Agents and the Quest for a Sustainable Technological Future” and endorsed by the Munich Design Institute (MDI). The research project is a cooperation of Klaus Bengler (TUM School of Engineering and Design) and Yvonne Förster, Philosopher in Residence at the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS), TUM.
As autonomous vehicles, social robots, and smart systems increasingly shape the environments in which we live, work, and interact, they call for new ways of thinking about design, responsibility, and coexistence. No longer mere tools, these technologies act within complex socio-technical ecologies—reconfiguring urban spaces, domestic life, and ecological relations.
This conference asks: how can we meaningfully anticipate and shape future forms of living together across human, technological, and ecological domains? Do we need to move beyond human-centered design toward more relational, systemic, or more-than-human approaches? We are particularly interested in the question of functional openness: Are devices that enable a plurality of uses beyond their originally intended function more desirable for sustainable and adaptable future life-worlds? Can technological multistability and design flexibility foster engagement, inclusion, participation, and support sustainable human-machine relations?
