MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL)

Working every day in a building designed by Frank Gehry adds particular poignancy to the news of his passing. Gehry was one of the most visionary architects of our time, and I’ve been fortunate to work in MIT’s Building 32, home to much of the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL). He believed that architecture should inspire movement, curiosity, and connection, and he conceived our building as a series of neighborhoods, designed to encourage collaboration and bring people together. There’s something about this building that naturally encourages approaching work with a bit more openness and out-of-the-box thinking. The unexpected lines and shapes still catch my eye and remind me to stay open to new ideas. Gehry’s architecture suggests to me that ideas can take new shapes, that structures can challenge conventions, and that environments can spark discovery. As we reflect on Frank Gehry’s extraordinary legacy, I’m grateful for the daily reminder of his vision and for the creativity his work continues to inspire. My condolences go out to his family, colleagues, and the many communities shaped by his remarkable contributions to architecture and design.

The Venice Biennale (Fondazione La Biennale di Venezia) has just concluded, and it’s been an incredible honor to take part in this year’s exhibition, Construction Futures: Machine Mosaic, and to join a workshop exploring how human imagination and robotic precision will shape the future of building. Huge congratulations to Carlo Ratti, this year’s Biennale curator, and gratitude for inviting us to contribute to this global conversation on design, technology, and the built environment. Our installation, The Machine Mosaic Project developed together with my research group at MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL), investigates how humanoid robots can autonomously construct mosaics, translating digital design into physical artistry through perception, planning, and control. The system integrates multimodal sensing, tactile feedback, and adaptive reasoning to bridge the gap between symbolic intent and embodied execution. This experience has also pointed us to new challenges for controlling humanoid robots to learn from humans how to execute complex tasks. We are exploring how liquid neural networks, which are compact, interpretable, and adaptive AI models, can be used to teach robots from human demonstrations, enabling them to learn and generalize physical intelligence in real time. Beyond robotics, the project embodies a broader vision: the convergence of art, computation, and physical intelligence. Each placed tile becomes a symbol of collaboration between humans and machines. This is a step toward Physical AI, where intelligence is grounded in motion, balance, and interaction with the real world. Congratulations as well to all the exhibitors who made this Biennale such an inspiring and thought-provoking event at the intersection of art, architecture, engineering, and societal challenges. I was so inspired by every exhibit, and truly enjoyed the Canal Espresso conversations that made Venice even more unforgettable! The future of construction will be built through human-machine collaboration, connecting human creativity with robotic precision.