If AI Can Design, Why Do We Still Need Designers?
Monday 14 September —
15:00
- 15:45
The Talks — Hall 5
Description
As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly capable of generating images, objects, and architectural proposals, what remains uniquely human in the creative process?
Arthur Mamou-Mani, Tim Fu, and Yuri Xavier examine how the role of the designer is evolving in the age of AI. Rather than asking whether AI is a threat or a solution, the conversation explores how emerging technologies are reshaping authorship, creativity, and decision-making.
As technical execution becomes more accessible, qualities such as judgment, intuition, material understanding, and cultural perspective become increasingly central to meaningful design. The discussion considers how AI may ultimately reinforce—not replace—a more human approach to design, where originality lies not in perfect outcomes, but in the choices, values, and intentions behind them.
Participants
Tim FuFounder & Director - Studio Tim Fu
Arthur Mamou-Mani Architect, Founder and CEO - Mamou-Mani
Yuri XavierCEO - Ligné Group & Co-founder - Créateurs Design Awards
Tim Fu
Founder & Director - Studio Tim Fu
Tim Fu is a renowned designer recognized for his pioneering use of artificial intelligence (AI) in architecture. Emerging from the research team at Zaha Hadid Architects, he has founded Studio Tim Fu, a high-tech architectural practice pioneering in the integration of AI into visionary designs. As a prominent voice in the field, his work has been showcased at conferences and exhibitions worldwide. Leading a specialized team of architects and technologists, he undertakes projects around the globe. Through his design and technological insights, Tim has amassed a significant online following, establishing his influence as a thought leader in the industry.
Arthur Mamou-Mani
Architect, Founder and CEO - Mamou-Mani
Arthur Mamou-Mani, AA dipl, ARB/RIBA FRSA –Wikipedia– is a Franco-British architect and director of the award-winning architecture practice Mamou-Mani, specialising in a new kind of digitally designed and fabricated architecture. Arthur is a lecturer at the University of Westminster, and has given numerous talks around the world on “Eco-Parametric” architectural practice, including three TEDx conferences in the U.S, France and the UK. A fellow of the Royal Society for Encouragement of the Arts, Manufacture and Commerce, he has won the American Architecture prize, the RIBA Rising Star Award and has recently been awarded the prestigious Pierre Cardin Prize for Architecture from the Académie des Beaux-Arts in France. In 2020, the Architects Journal named Mamou-Mani one of its 100 ‘Disruptor’ practices that are challenging the norms of traditional architecture practice in their drive to bring about sustainable alternatives. Most recently, he was named one of the ’20 for 2025 World Design Congress Trailblazers’, recognising individuals making pioneering contributions to the future of design. Alongside his architectural practice, Arthur founded Fab.Pub, a pioneering digital fabrication lab in London that empowers people to co-create using large-scale 3D printing. At the forefront of circular design, the lab uses bio-based materials and open-source principles to make sustainable products and construction both accessible and participatory.
Yuri Xavier
CEO - Ligné Group & Co-founder - Créateurs Design Awards
Yuri Xavier is a cultural strategist and entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience in the design industry, with a specific focus on the intersection of luxury, culture, and innovation. As CEO of the Ligné Group, he advises brands on cultural strategy, global partnerships, and luxury positioning. As Co-Founder of the Créateurs Design Awards (CDA), he has built a peer-driven platform celebrating excellence in architecture and design, with past honorees including Tadao Ando, Norman Foster, Frida Escobedo, and Gaetano Pesce. As Creator and Host of MINDED, he leads a media platform with 300,000+ subscribers exploring how culture shapes how we live, create, and build meaning. Yuri is recognized for building global cultural ecosystems that unite leaders across design, architecture, media, fashion, and the creative economy - translating cultural capital into measurable business growth. He serves on the board of the Decorative Furniture Association and has spoken at Design Shanghai, Maison&Objet, and the University of Miami. He is a sought-after voice on the creative economy, cultural investment, and the future of design.