How Designers Can Stay Human in a World of AI

For more than twenty-five years, Fiona Killackey, founder of My Daily Business, has worked in brand, content and marketing with one core belief: businesses succeed when they stay deeply human.

As AI reshapes creative industries, many in the design industries are asking how to adapt without losing authorship, intuition and craft. This online talk and workshop explores that tension directly. Rather than focusing solely on technology, the session centres on humanity, examining what has always made strong brands and design practices resonate: story, empathy, judgement and lived experience.

Alongside this broader perspective, Fiona will demonstrate selected AI tools live, showing how they can support research, workflow and communication when used intentionally. The emphasis is on discernment, not replacement. Where does AI add value? Where should human thinking lead? And how do designers remain creatively distinct in a machine-assisted landscape?

This session is for designers, studio founders, students and creative professionals who are curious, cautious or conflicted about AI’s role in design. It is suited to those seeking grounded, commercially realistic guidance on staying relevant while protecting the human voice at the heart of their work.

This is an online event (via Zoom). Tickets are available for the workshop only, or for the workshop plus a signed copy of Fiona’s latest book, Business to Brand: Moving from Transaction to Transformation (Hardie Grant, 2024), which explores the role of connection and human-centred thinking in modern business.