u003ch3u003eDescriptionsu003c/h3u003ernu003cstrongu003eMorning Panel: AI Fabrication and Manufacturingu003c/strongu003ernu003cstrongu003ePresenters:u003c/strongu003e Virginia Melnyk, u003cemu003eassistant professor of architecture;u003c/emu003e Adarsh Krishnamurthy, u003cemu003eprofessor of mechanical engineering;u003c/emu003e and students Ellie Barkalow, Kali Collins, and Julia SkoczenrnrnThis panel explores how artificial intelligence operates differently across design and engineering through the challenge of translating digital imagery into physical systems. Student work from a digital-to-physical fabrication course demonstrates how AI-generated images are interpreted through material experimentation, including textiles and hybrid fabrication methods. In contrast, engineering perspectives emphasize prediction, validation, and performance.rnrnBy bringing these approaches into dialogue, the panel highlights key differences in how disciplines define accuracy, failure, and material intelligence. Rather than presenting AI as a unified tool, the discussion positions it as a site of divergence and asks how speculative design workflows might intersect with engineering rigor in future hybrid practices.rnrnu003cstrongu003eWorkshop 1: Before You Submit: AI and Creative Judgmentu003c/strongu003ernu003cstrongu003ePresenter:u003c/strongu003e Nick Senske, u003cemu003eassociate professor of architectureu003c/emu003ernrnWhat if your best idea is also the most expected one? In this one-hour live experiemnt, participants will test where AI ends and their thinking begins.rnrnu003cstrongu003eWorkshop 2u003c/strongu003ernu003cstrongu003ePresenter:u003c/strongu003e Subinay Malhotra, u003cemu003eassistant professor of industrial designu003c/emu003ernrnThis workshop challenges participants to rapidly design assistive or lifestyle-enhancing concepts using sketching and tactile materials like clay, marshmallows, and spaghetti. Working in teams, they will ideate, build, and most importantly, capture their thinking in real time using Meta Smart Glasses and their phones. The focus is not just on making, but on telling the story of making. Participants will transform raw moments, sketches, conversations, and decisions into short, compelling visual narratives. The session highlights a critical shift in design: in an AI-driven world, value lies not just in what you create, but in how you frame, narrate, and make others care about it.rnrnu003cstrongu003eKeynote Address:u003c/strongu003e Can We Design Longevity? AI, Service Exposomes and Tangible-Virtual Artifacts as Future Interventionsrnu003cstrongu003ePresenter:u003c/strongu003e Sheng-Hung Lee, u003cemu003eassistant professor of urban technology and director of the D-Mix Lab, University of Michiganu003c/emu003ernrnAs societies age, people are increasingly expected to make decisions about futures they struggle to imagine. This talk explores whether longevity can be designed by shifting attention from decision-making to longevity envisioning—how individuals imagine possible future selves under uncertainty. It introduces the concept of the service exposome, describing how people accumulate exposures to mobility, healthcare, housing, and digital services across the life course, increasingly shaped by AI-mediated infrastructures. Drawing on an experiment comparing tangible and virtual Longevity Planning Blocks (LPBs) on the Apple Vision Pro, the talk examines how artifact modalities influence future-oriented thinking and the design of longevity-oriented service systems.rnrnu003cstrongu003eConcurrent Afternoon Panel 1u003c/strongu003e: Designing with AI: Studio Innovationsrnu003cstrongu003ePresenters:u003c/strongu003e Yongyeon Cho, u003cemu003eassociate professor of interior design;u003c/emu003e Sarah Zenti, u003cemu003eassistant professor of interior design; andu003c/emu003e Farzane Omidi, u003cemu003eassistant teaching professor of interior designu003c/emu003ernrnThis session showcases faculty-led experiments using AI in interdisciplinary and interior design studios, highlighting workflows for concept development, visualization, and evidence-based design communication.rnrnu003cstrongu003eConcurrent Afternoon Panel 2u003c/strongu003ernu003cstrongu003ePresenters:u003c/strongu003e Mike Macri, u003cemu003eassociate professor of practice in real estate development and urban planning and development,u003c/emu003e and members of the data center/AI/business communityrnrnThis session will cover digital innovation and implementation of artificial intelligence in the business and academic environments by bridging the skills gap between industry expectations and academic preparation in the College of Design.
