AI voice agent embeds within moss-covered phone booth at milan design week

the interactive installation's design focused on narrative presence, rhythm, and emotional nuance, rather than instruction and efficiency.

Cris Olmedo edited by christina vergopoulou April 17, 2025 5 min

2147: Voice Agent from the Future by QS VENTURES

During Milan Design Week 2025, QS Ventures repurposed a disused phone booth from the 1990s as an interactive installation titled 2147, located within BASE Milano. The 2147 project introduced Gaia, a multilingual, voice-based AI agent designed for unscripted, real-time conversation. The installation operated without screens or visual interfaces, emphasizing voice as the primary medium for interaction.

Positioned within the ‘We Will Design’ program of the Fuorisalone circuit, 2147 facilitated over 1,200 minutes of dialogue with more than 600 participants over five days. The installation focused on voice as a design material and aimed to explore conversational interaction as a spatial and emotional experience. Gaia was developed by QS Ventures, a Barcelona-based studio, founded by designer and engineer Cris Olmedo. The AI technology was built in collaboration with Victoria, a voice-AI platform created by Vidiv, part of the Galician Visual MS Group. The project integrated speech recognition, directional audio, and speech-to-speech response systems within the phone booth’s interior, while preserving its original exterior.

AI voice agent embeds within moss-covered phone booth at milan design week - 1 — entering 2147 booth at BASE Milano | all images courtesy of QS Ventures

2147 installation explores how voice can shape spatial experience

The installation examined character design in artificial intelligence. Gaia was constructed not as a utility assistant, but as a narrative agent with a defined tone, rhythm, and set of conversational behaviors. This approach drew from methods used in film and interactive storytelling, with emphasis on pacing, silence, and emotional range.‘We didn’t design a UI—we designed a voice. A character. With rhythm, silence, friction, and memory,’ says Cristóbal Olmedo, lead designer of creative innovation studio QS Ventures. ‘It felt more like directing cinema than building an interface.’

Participants engaged Gaia in English, Italian, Spanish, French, Japanese, and Tagalog. The AI agent responded in real time, without pre-defined scripts or option trees. The project explored how unscripted dialogue could foster engagement, while also testing various design parameters such as emotional pacing, multilingual adaptation, and interaction flow. Multiple iterations of voice models were evaluated as part of the installation’s development. The aim was to examine interaction quality in terms of narrative continuity and emotional response, rather than efficiency or task completion. The design strategy prioritized presence, ambiguity, and open-ended exchange.

AI voice agent embeds within moss-covered phone booth at milan design week - 2 — the 2147 phone booth is wrapped in moss and plants. an analog relic transformed into a living interface

Moss and foliage cover 2147 phone booth by QS Ventures

The booth remained unaltered on the outside and was embedded with minimal but effective hardware inside. Moss and foliage elements were added externally, offering contrast between the analog structure and the conversational technology embedded within. Visual design elements such as signage and speculative fiction references contextualized the installation as part of a broader inquiry into future communication modes. 2147 by QS Ventures was also part of Glitch Camp, a collaborative design residency hosted on the rooftop of BASE Milano. This initiative involved designers and researchers working collectively on future-oriented design practices.

AI voice agent embeds within moss-covered phone booth at milan design week - 3 — 2147 – Ascolta la Mamma sign. a narrative detail that reinforced Gaia’s role as a character rather than an assistant

AI voice agent embeds within moss-covered phone booth at milan design week - 4 — a visitor interacting with Gaia inside the booth. conversations were held in over five languages

AI voice agent embeds within moss-covered phone booth at milan design week - 5 — each interaction felt intimate, turning the phone booth into a temporary confessional

qs-ventures-phone-booth-interactive-installation-2147-voice-based-ai-milan-design-week-2025-designboom-1800-2 — the booth’s front panel, framed by organic foliage and speculative fiction posters

AI voice agent embeds within moss-covered phone booth at milan design week - 6 — Gaia asked questions, held silences, and often refused to give answers, just like a real character

AI voice agent embeds within moss-covered phone booth at milan design week - 7 — the project explored how unscripted dialogue could foster engagement

AI voice agent embeds within moss-covered phone booth at milan design week - 8 — each conversation unfolded like a scene, emotional, unpredictable, and rooted in presence

AI voice agent embeds within moss-covered phone booth at milan design week - 9 — designing Gaia meant embracing pauses, reflection, and unscripted human responses

qs-ventures-phone-booth-interactive-installation-2147-voice-based-ai-milan-design-week-2025-designboom-1800-3 — a point of emotional connection, the installation sets voice as the main interface

AI voice agent embeds within moss-covered phone booth at milan design week - 10 — a moment of silence inside the booth. the design prioritized intimacy over instruction, character over utility

AI voice agent embeds within moss-covered phone booth at milan design week - 11 — the booth in its dormant state. even without users, 2147 remained a sculptural invitation to reconnect through voice

project info:

name: 2147 – Voice Agent from the Future
designer: QS Ventures

lead designer: Cristóbal Olmedo

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