A year of momentum at the MIT Media Lab—advancing research, expanding community, and marking four decades of interdisciplinary invention.

This 2025 Impact Report captures a year in which the MIT Media Lab strengthened our foundations while expanding our reach. Across research, education, and global engagement, the Lab advanced interdisciplinary work, launched new research groups and programs, and invested in the people and collaborations that translate imagination into reality.

At the heart of this progress is a distinctive model that brings designers, engineers, artists, and scientists together with global collaborators to explore what becomes possible when disciplines converge. Through more than 25 research groups, centers, initiatives, and programs, students and faculty investigate emerging ideas—from sensing and sustainability to AI, education, and human creativity—turning early exploration into new technologies, systems, and experiences.

The year also unfolded during the Media Lab’s 40th anniversary—an opportunity to reflect on the durability of our founding ideas while looking ahead to what comes next.

Read the report here or download the PDF to explore how the Media Lab community is addressing the urgent question: how do we design for a future that is both digital and deeply human?