Welcome to Design Assembly New Zealand Autumn Conversations! In this event, we’ll be exploring the fascinating intersection of design and artificial intelligence. Our theme is “Design and AI: How to use AI in your design process.”

The world of design is constantly evolving, and AI is one of the most exciting developments of recent years. From generating design ideas to automating repetitive tasks, AI has the potential to revolutionise the way we approach design. But how can we harness this technology to its full potential?

To answer this question, we have expert speakers who will share their insights, experiences, and ideas on how to incorporate AI into your design process. They’ll discuss the benefits and challenges of using AI, showcase real-life examples, and provide practical tips for integrating AI into your workflow.

Featured Speakers

Rodrigo (Rod) Acevedo, Product Design Lead | Strategist | Google RARE delegate, Rush Digital

Rod is a passionate and award-winning strategist, product designer and creative thinker. A native of Chile, he has dedicated most of his career to decolonising design practices which foster inclusion and prioritise empathetic, human-centred thinking. Over the last few years, Rod has worked on a wide range of problems across many industries including healthcare, insurance and day-to-day services, with a particular emphasis on unpacking complex design challenges.

Rod is part of the Rare with Google program and a design mentor in ADPList.

- Taking advantage of AI to elevate your design practice. Over the past year, we’ve been experimenting with incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) into our design practice and let me tell you, it’s been one wild ride! But don’t worry, it won’t just be about boring technical details - we’ll discuss the transformative role of the designer in conducting research, exploration, and fostering creativity while optimising internal processes.

Tom White, Senior Lecturer in Media Design Creative Coding at Victoria University Wellington - Te Herenga Waka

Tom White is a lecturer teaching computational design and creative AI at the Victoria University of
Wellington School of Design. He studied computer graphics and visual design at the MIT Aesthetics and Computation group with professor John Maeda where his 1998 MS Thesis investigated the potential for multi-touch interfaces to provide better computer interfaces. His early work on drawing frameworks led to influential software that is still popular today - such as Processing, openFrameworks, and p5.js. His computational art has been exhibited at museums internationally including Cooper Union, MoMA, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts, SIGGRAPH, Ars Electronica, and the NeurIPS Art Gallery. He is also Wellington based visual artist focused on work combining computer perception and drawing systems.

– The First 10 years of Generative AI Design. Tom will cover several years of research investigating ways of incorporating generative artificial intelligence capabilities into creativity tools at Victoria University of Wellington. He will also discuss the quickly changing landscape of new design tools and possibilities for future exploration.

Lauren Skogstad | Ngāti Raukawa | Head of Experience at Springload

Lauren leads the strategy, research, design and content practice and methodology at Springload. Lauren has a passion for creating meaningful and culturally authentic experiences that enrich people’s everyday lives. She believes in the power of strong partnerships, collaborative design and people based problem solving. Lauren has 16 + years experience across Wellington, London and Melbourne. She’s worked with ANZ, Adairs, Jetstar, RMIT, Holden and Wesley College to create beautiful digital experiences. For Springload, she’s worked on projects for the Ministry for Social Development, Tertiary Education Commission, New Zealand Customs Service, Engineering New Zealand, ACC, and Department of Internal Affairs.

–Whose artificial intelligence? Reflecting on the intersection of AI and Te Ao Māori. In the race to adopt new technologies that could transform everything from how we communicate to our everyday jobs, this talk offers a moment to pause and reflect on the ethical and cultural implications of these tools. We need to ask how these products were made; how they trained the model, what specific sources feed it, who made them and what bias they bring. Is it possible that AI is yet another episode in the great story of colonisation? What measures do we need to protect the taonga of Aotearoa?

After the talks, there will be a Q&A session where you can ask the speakers your burning questions and engage in a lively discussion with fellow attendees. Whether you’re a seasoned designer or just starting out, this event is a unique opportunity to learn from leading experts in the field and gain valuable insights into the future of design.

Join us for an engaging and informative event that will expand your knowledge of design and AI, and inspire you to integrate AI into your creative process.

Tickets are FREE for DA Friends - Access tickets with your special code

P.S: If you're a DA Friend and haven't received your ticket access code, contact us!

Special thanks to our Design Assembly Partners for helping us bring these events to the Aotearoa NZ design community: BookPrint, mychillybin, Portfolio, Rocketspark, Streamtime,

Drinks Partners: Major Major & Karma Drinks

Contact the host of WELLINGTON DA Events: Autumn Conversations - 'Design & AI'