Deconstructing AI & Experience Design
Summary
It took a few days to let the inspirational buzz in my brain settle from the AI and Experience Design Conference that unfolded on January 23 & 24, 2024 in the historic Trippenhuis in Amsterdam. I started by shuffling back through my pages of notes – picking out each time I drew a thought bubble with an accompanying “aha moment” next to it… The two-day conference (organised by Derek Lomas from TU Delft and supported by Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen, in English the Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences) was filled with presentations and demos of fascinating people doing fascinating things with AI – creative coders pushing the boundaries of their models, digital designers creating more inclusive prototypes, artists envisioning more-than-human futures collaborating with AI. Amidst the sea of data and algorithms, understanding the nuanced human experience remains a cornerstone for meaningful AI integration. From aiding design thinking to sparking new ideas to helping visualise new futures, AI emerges as a collaborator rather than a competitor in the creative realm. These are the big questions we must keep asking ourselves… Acknowledging the rapid integration of AI into our daily lives, the importance of early education around its use surfaced as a critical necessity.