Summary
Lou Rosenfeld opened Designing with AI 2024 by highlighting the conference's global nature with speakers from multiple countries including Australia, Nigeria, Italy, and the Netherlands. He underscored that this event is designed to be a conversation rather than a static conference, inviting active participation via Slack channels and cohort groups. Lou detailed logistical aspects like time zones, session organization, sponsor involvement, and digital swag offerings, designed to enhance attendee engagement. He also stressed professional and human standards for interaction. Following this, Uday Gaar, a seasoned design leader, reflected on how pervasive AI has become in design discourse, recounting the genesis of the conference as a natural evolution from the previous year's Enterprise UX event which had a strong AI focus. Uday elaborated on the careful planning and iterative collaboration between seasoned experts and newcomers to shape a cohesive program with linked talks and critical insights. Both Lou and Uday encouraged attendee engagement, framing the conference as an ongoing conversation rather than a one-off event, aimed at deepening understanding of AI’s potentials and challenges in design.
Key Insights
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The conference is distinctly international, involving speakers from six different countries outside the US.
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Designing with AI 2024 is structured as a conversation to encourage ongoing dialogue rather than a one-sided presentation.
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Slack channels and cohort groups serve as key venues for participant interaction and content organization.
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Sponsor sessions are integrated carefully to provide high-value, content-rich experiences, not typical sales pitches.
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Experienced design leaders like Uday Gaar play a pivotal role in curating and balancing the speaker roster and themes.
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The program includes collaborative pre-conference work among speakers to create thematic cohesion and iterative refinement of talks.
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Resources like sketch notes, scribe notes, and curated links allow attendees to focus on engagement rather than note-taking.
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Community standards and a code of conduct are actively enforced to maintain a safe and respectful virtual space.
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The conference encourages attendees to steer conversation topics by posing questions and engaging with sessions.
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The event is part of a broader, ongoing conversation about AI’s role in design rather than a conclusive endpoint.
Notable Quotes
"This is a conference, but a conference is just a polished snapshot, just a point in time of a conversation."
"AI is pervasive. You can't escape it."
"We want you to feel a very strong invitation from us to participate."
"Sponsor sessions are not just salesy sessions. They're really fantastic sessions put on by people who happen to work at a sponsor's company."
"We have a protocol that we’re gonna encourage you and cajole you and coax you into using."
"We are here to talk about something that’s on everyone’s minds lately."
"This conference is not an endpoint, but a path to broadening our understanding of the potential and pitfalls of designing with AI."
"It’s really hard to have a conversation if you’ve got a pen and you’re writing and taking notes and not really paying attention."
"We strive to create an event where there is connective tissue and cohesion across those talks."
"Your engagement is vital and will help steer where you want this conversation to go."
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