Prof. Dr. Oliver Nickel is founder and managing partner of SWELL, a consultancy specialising in insight, brand, and innovation. Over 25 years, he has advised leading companies—among them Adidas, Bosch, Porsche Design, Siemens Healthineers and Kärcher—on strategic design and innovation processes. Since 2021, he has been Professor for Innovation Management and Design at AMD Akademie Mode & Design / Hochschule Fresenius.
Artificial intelligence that cares: in his talk “Affectionate Intelligence”, Oliver Nickel presents current design examples from CES 2026 in Las Vegas—products and systems that respond to emotional states, anticipate needs, and simulate human closeness. The spectrum ranges from infants to dementia patients. What can empathetic design actually deliver—and where does it reach its limits?
