Design for Entropy

How active inference and the free energy principle transform our understanding of technology and design.

Design for Entropy offers a bold rethinking of human-technology relations by bringing active inference and the Free Energy Principle-leading frameworks in neuroscience and cognitive science-into dialogue with design theory, as well as the sociology and psychology of technology.

Luca Possati argues that any artifact-any technology-can be understood as a network of predictions and predictive models about human behavior and its environment. The active inference agent is, by definition, a technological agent-one whose survival and adaptation depend on the ability to construct, reshape, and inhabit a predictive niche. This perspective opens the door to a new approach for addressing foundational questions about design and the role of technology in social groups and the psychological dynamics of human-technology interaction.

Through in-depth case studies-covering smartphones, adaptive robotics, and smart cities-Possati introduces the Designer-Artifact-User (DAU) software model, an active inference-based tool for UX design. He also confronts psychological and social challenges, including digital addiction, depression, affective modulation, and the role of technology in mentalizing.