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Chapter four of Empowering Design Education with AI is built from ten conversations with people running design at studios, startups, and schools. We asked all of them the same questions. What are you seeing. What are you hiring for. What do you wish schools were teaching. Where does the human layer sit now. What gives you hope.

This panel takes that chapter live, with two of its voices and two new ones.

Matt Owens, Vincent Iadevaia, Karen Lin, and Mirko Santangelo join the book's co-authors, Christie Shin and C.J. Yeh, to take the same questions again, now that everyone has had another year of it. Between them they lead design and innovation at Athletics, manage UX at Google, design product at Meta, and run creative at PaperTiger. They hire designers, work alongside them, and are watching the job change underneath both.

Expect specifics rather than predictions. This is not a session about where AI is going. It is six people who have already changed how they work, comparing notes in public.

What we will get into

• What they are seeing right now in their studios and teams

• What they are actually hiring for

• What they wish schools were teaching

• The human layer, and what it is worth once the tools can do the rest

• What gives them hope

Who should come

Designers, studio and team leads, educators, students, and anyone who hires them. No prior AI experience needed. Bring your questions. The panel would rather answer those than talk at you.

What we’ll explore

• What design leaders are seeing in their studios, organizations, and classrooms

• What they are currently looking for when hiring designers

• What they wish schools were teaching

• The human layer: the value of judgment, creativity, and perspective as AI tools become more capable

• What gives them hope about the future of design

Who should attend

Designers, studio and team leaders, educators, students, and anyone who hires designers. No prior AI experience is required. Bring your questions. Audience participation will help shape the conversation.

Event details

• Date and time: Thursday, October 29, 2026, 12:30–1:30 p.m. EDT

• Location: Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), 227 West 27th Street, New York, NY 10001

• Format: In person