Nº 162 :: Create, or automate?

How can we we reclaim ownership over making, and re-think the systems around us, in an era of AI?

Thuy Gia Nguyen-Vu will take us through how designing closer to the real product, using tools like Play, helps designers reclaim ownership, feel what they build, and make sharper, more confident decisions. It’s a talk about fidelity, craft, and the emotional clarity that comes from putting your hands back in the clay.

John Willshire will challenge how we think about our roles as designers in 2025 and beyond. As AI shifts the ground beneath us, he asks: Are we still designing products – or are we becoming the products of design? His talk explores how a generation of systemic, strategic thinkers might hold the key to shaping what comes next.

Join us for an evening of exploration and conversation about the creative tensions that are emerging between hands-on designing, and the accelerating influence of AI. Tickets are free, thanks to our sponsors 🙏

About the speakers

Photo of John V. Willshire
John V. Willshire
Founder, Smithery
Photo of Thuy Gia Nguyen-Vu
Thuy Gia Nguyen-Vu
Senior Product Designer, FINN / Vend

About Smithery

Smithery helps organisations take an active role in shaping their futures as they look out over an uncertain landscape. This involves learning to perceive and understand new realities, sparking appropriate internal innovation, and acting on these instincts to make real change. They are based in London, UK.

Smithery