Design Executive Council Podcast Designing Net Positive Futures in the Age of Intelligence
Sep 18, 2025
Benedikt Lehnert, an Entrepreneurship and Design Fellow at Princeton University, discusses the ethical challenges and responsibilities of design leadership in the age of AI. He emphasizes the need for designers to act as ethical navigators who ensure AI benefits society and the planet, moving beyond mere product creation. Benedikt also highlights the potential of multimodal interactions and the importance of intentional prototyping to achieve sustainable value, while urging tech leaders to preserve human creativity and dignity in their innovations.
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Designers Must Anticipate Second-Order Harms
- AI is a profound frontier that mixes huge opportunity with real danger when combined with other powerful technologies.
- Designers must intentionally design against misuse and think through second- and third-order effects.
Designers Negotiate Business And Society
- Designers negotiate the contract between business, society, and the planet to create net-positive outcomes.
- Design leadership should prioritize human dignity and long-term value alongside economic gain.
Build Thoughtful, Not Reactive, AI Features
- Avoid slapdash AI features that only signal trend-following and add little user value.
- Prototype thoughtfully and use design to rethink workflows, not just add another feature.
