IBM and MSD13: powering the second chapter together

We’re proud to announce the renewal of the strategic collaboration between the Specializing Master in Service Design by POLI.design – Politecnico di Milano and IBM, continuing a pioneering initiative in the fast-evolving landscape of Generative Artificial Intelligence.

In the last few years, Generative AI underwent a significant evolution, redefining its role within companies and in design processes. We’re now in the “Adoption Era”, characterized by maturity and commoditization of tech literacy and best practices. In this context, designers need to rethink their role and workflows to fully leverage the potential of AI, including new possibilities offered by Agentic AI – which is triggering a sort of new cycle.

Davide Ferraris, Strategy & Transformation Business Development Associate Partner & Design Director at IBM Consulting, describes the collaboration as:
“We’ve moved beyond the question of whether AI belongs in design, it does. What we learned from the first edition is clear: AI doesn’t simply change the designer’s toolkit, it challenges the very logic of the creative process. This Lab exists not just to prepare designers for that shift, but to make them co-authors of it.”

And Martina Africa Meo, Design Director and Enterprise Experience Design Practice Manager at IBM Consulting, adds:
“Generative AI is reshaping not only what we design, but how we think about design itself. Through this collaboration, we are exploring a new paradigm where designers move beyond execution to orchestrate intelligent, adaptive systems. It’s an opportunity to redefine creativity at scale, while maintaining human intent at the core.”

The collaboration between IBM and MSD revolves around the “Generative AI Lab for Service Design. Transforming the role of the Designer between Generative Variability and Creative Homogeneity”.

The experimental Lab is developed within the MSD13 didactic activities, is in its second edition, and is led by Davide Ferraris, Martina Africa Meo, Benedetta Ajello and Ivana Cassaniti.
Special thanks to Tiziana Tornaghi for enabling this collaboration.

Curious about the results of the first edition?

Take a look at the webinar that you can find on the home page and stay tuned for any update!