Seed 6143: Human and Machine in Creative Collaboration

Modem Works, in collaboration with Google DeepMind and Studio Ross Lovegrove, introduced Seed 6143, a research project that explores the intersection of design, AI, and advanced manufacturing. The work demonstrates how artificial intelligence can become a true design partner, shaping new forms through an exchange between human intent and machine intelligence.

Process and Philosophy

The foundation of Seed 6143 lies in training AI on Ross Lovegrove’s personal sketches and design language. DeepMind’s model was fine-tuned to understand his organic and fluid visual logic rather than conventional object categories. This approach allowed the AI to interpret form in abstract terms, creating unique shapes that retained Lovegrove’s design DNA while going beyond typical chair typologies.

From hundreds of generated outcomes, the team selected one digital model that carried the ideal balance of proportion and flow. It was then transformed into a detailed 3D CAD model, becoming the central reference for fabrication.

Advanced Metal Fabrication

The final chair was produced through robotic metal 3D printing. The CAD data was optimized to maintain continuous flow, minimizing seams and breaks. This method allowed the form to emerge as a single fluid structure rather than a collection of parts.

Metal additive manufacturing provided both structural strength and design freedom, resulting in a sculptural object that is functional yet expressive. The technique captured subtle transitions and organic geometry that would be nearly impossible to achieve through traditional manufacturing.

The Team Behind the Project

Client: Google DeepMind

Design Vision: Studio Ross Lovegrove

AI and Design Strategy: Ila Colombo

Direction and Strategy: Modem

3D Fabrication: Oxido Studio

Photography: Enric Badrinas

Art Direction: Ilya Schulte

Each collaborator played a key role in connecting AI technology with material craft, merging computational intelligence with industrial design precision.

Reflections

Seed 6143 represents a shift in how designers might work with AI in the future. Instead of viewing AI as a mere tool, the project treats it as a collaborator capable of understanding and extending human creativity.

The outcome is more than a chair. It is a statement on how digital intelligence, human intuition, and new fabrication processes can come together to shape physical reality.

For the design community, it highlights three emerging ideas:

• AI can help establish new visual languages rooted in human sensibility.

• Integrated digital-to-physical pipelines can streamline design and production.

• Advanced materials and printing methods can expand creative limits.

Seed 6143 is not just a product but a study in collaboration — a demonstration of how technology and design can coexist to produce something original, thoughtful, and alive.