At this year’s Milan Design Week, a curious sight drew hundreds of visitors—a moss-covered phone booth straight out of the 1990s. But step inside, and you’re speaking with the future.

Titled “2147” and created by QS Ventures, the installation invites guests to have unscripted, real-time conversations with Gaia, a multilingual AI voice agent. No screens, no buttons—just voice.

Over five days, more than 600 people chatted with Gaia in languages ranging from English to Japanese, exploring what human-AI dialogue might feel like when it’s deeply personal, responsive, and character-driven.

Unlike typical AI assistants, Gaia isn’t here to answer your calendar requests. She’s designed with tone, rhythm, and emotional pacing—blurring the lines between machine and storyteller. Wrapped in moss and greenery, the booth speaks to the deprecation of old technology, and offers a unique space for reflection, connection, and curiosity.

A relic of the past, reimagined for the future. Via DesignBoom:

Images © Copyright QS Ventures.


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Ben VanderVeen is the founder and editor of Moss & Fog, one of the web’s longest-running visual culture destinations. Since 2009, he’s been finding and framing the most beautiful, surprising, and thought-provoking work in art, architecture, design, and nature — reaching over 325,000 readers each month. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

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