News | School of Design Participates in 2024 Global "City of Design" Roundtable Dialogue and Global Designers Conference

The School of Innovation and Creative Design at Southern University of Science and Technology (hereinafter referred to as “the School of Design”) supported the opening of the 2024 Shenzhen Design Week and actively participated in multiple events during the design week to jointly explore the important role of design in empowering high-quality development, efficient management, and high-quality living.

On April 27, the 2024 Global “Design Capital” City Roundtable Dialogue and Global Designers Conference was held in the Shenzhen Broadcasting and Television Building Auditorium. Tom Kvan, the founding dean of the School of Design, served as the moderator and invited experts and scholars such as Chen Yan, the head of Tencent's Hunyuan product and the initiator of technical philanthropy; Dai Haiqing, an associate professor at the Department of Social Work at the Chinese University of Hong Kong; Shi Danqing, an associate professor at the Department of Information Art and Design at Tsinghua University; and Xin Xiangyang, a tenured distinguished professor at Tongji University, to engage in a discussion on the topic of “Designing AI for Positive User Experiences in the Natural and Human Worlds.”

This discussion defined “users” as ranging from individual humans to communities, societies, and ecosystems including other species. It explored the growing influence of artificial intelligence from a perspective of diversity, inclusivity, and sustainability, as well as its potential to enhance or diminish experiences and well-being, thereby reflecting on the role of designers and current design methodologies. The speakers discussed how AI can contribute to design and improve the quality of life, sharing insights and examples from their respective fields of expertise and observational experiences. They clarified the potential and challenges of AI, with the following highlights:

AI can play multiple roles in the design process, such as serving as a design partner to assist in analyzing and exploring creativity, supporting research; as a design component to integrate AI into design creation; and assisting designers in visualization and expression; AI can assume the role of a multidisciplinary expert, providing cross-disciplinary support for design. While AI demonstrates creativity and imagination, it also has limitations. It lacks direct perception of the real world and cannot fully replace the physical experience and emotional investment of human designers. Its content generation does not equate to creative or innovative thinking. Most importantly, behind AI technology lies the “human intention” that determines its development and application. In terms of promoting social welfare, AI has the potential to help bridge the digital divide and democratize access to knowledge and skills; it can bring new possibilities to urban life, such as serving special groups and environments, providing personalized assistance and training in fields like language education, and supporting social welfare initiatives like targeted poverty alleviation. However, on the other hand, AI currently seems to focus more on improving efficiency rather than addressing fundamental issues like social accessibility, inclusion, and sustainable development. AI may also exacerbate the disconnect between humans and nature and intensify human arrogance. In summary, AI is a powerful tool whose impact depends on how we utilize it. Designers and the public need to maintain an open yet cautious attitude to guide AI toward truly benefiting humanity and nature.

On-site discussion

The 2024 Global “Design Capital” City Roundtable Dialogue and Global Designers Conference is one of the four major thematic events of this year's Shenzhen Design Week, aimed at strengthening exchange and cooperation among global design capitals and sharing each city's experiences and achievements in the field of design. This conference is guided by the Shenzhen Design Week Organizing Committee Office, hosted by the Shenzhen Innovation and Creative Design Development Office, organized by the Shenzhen Cultural and Creative Design Association, co-organized by the School of Innovation and Creative Design at Southern University of Science and Technology and the World Design Weeks (WDW) Global Design Cities Network, and executed by the Shenzhen Broadcasting and Television Group.

Contributed by: Xu Qingru
Reviewed by: Li Xu