AI in Practice: What’s Working, What’s Failing and What You Need to Know
AI adoption is moving fast across architecture, design, and manufacturing - but simply using the technology doesn’t always mean it’s delivering real value. Firms are testing new tools, experimenting with workflows, and figuring out where AI can genuinely save time or unlock creative capacity. But between quality concerns, team adoption, client expectations, and the pressure to keep up, the gap between trying AI and making it work in practice is still significant.This session takes a look at what’s actually happening inside firms right now. What tools are proving useful? Where is AI falling short? And how are design professionals deciding what’s worth investing in - and what isn’t? From internal workflows and creative processes to ethics and quality control, industry leaders will share what they’re learning as they navigate AI in real time.
Speakers
Related Sessions
Canadian Design and the Culture of the Cottage
Explore the Canadian design aesthetic! From coastal homes and Quebec f
…Explore the Canadian design aesthetic! From coastal homes and Quebec farmhouses to Prairie modernism, West Coast architecture and the cottages of Ontario and Muskoka, Canadian design is deeply influenced by landscape, climate, craftsmanship and regio
…Explore the Canadian design aesthetic! From coastal homes and Quebec farmhouses to Prairie modernism, West Coast architecture and the cottages of Ontario and Muskoka, Canadian design is deeply influenced by landscape, climate, craftsmanship and regional identity.
This conversation dives deep into what makes Canadian residential design distinctive, with a particular look at cottage culture as both a design tradition and a way of life. Panelists wil
Explore the Canadian design aesthetic! From coastal homes and Quebec farmhouses to Prairie modernism, West Coast architecture and the cottages of Ontario and Muskoka, Canadian design is deeply influenced by landscape, climate, craftsmanship and regional identity.
This conversation dives deep into what makes Canadian residential design distinctive, with a particular look at cottage culture as both a design tradition and a way of life. Panelists will consider how designers can preserve the character, memory and simplicity that make these properties meaningful while adapting them for contemporary living. How, as a design community, can we allow the Canadian cottage to evolve without designing away everything that made it special?
Regional Realities: How Great Design Responds to Place
Designers from British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Alberta wal
…Designers from British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Alberta walk into a room and quickly realize they’re not solving the same problems. Climate, construction styles, client expectations, and access to products all shape how projects come toget
…Designers from British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Alberta walk into a room and quickly realize they’re not solving the same problems. Climate, construction styles, client expectations, and access to products all shape how projects come together, and what ultimately gets specified.
This candid, fast-paced conversation puts those differences on the table. What works, what doesn’t translate, and where do assumptions fall apart across regions
Designers from British Columbia, Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Alberta walk into a room and quickly realize they’re not solving the same problems. Climate, construction styles, client expectations, and access to products all shape how projects come together, and what ultimately gets specified.
This candid, fast-paced conversation puts those differences on the table. What works, what doesn’t translate, and where do assumptions fall apart across regions? For designers taking on cross-country projects or looking to expand beyond their local market, it’s a clear, practical look at what changes when you leave your home base, and how to adapt without missing a step.
The Great Specification Debate: Design Decisions Under Pressure
Designers don’t always agree and that’s what makes this session worth
…Designers don’t always agree and that’s what makes this session worth attending! In this fast-paced live debate, top designers go head-to-head on the choices that define every kitchen: appliances, cabinetry, surfaces, lighting, and layouts.
Then the c
Designers don’t always agree and that’s what makes this session worth attending! In this fast-paced live debate, top designers go head-to-head on the choices that define every kitchen: appliances, cabinetry, surfaces, lighting, and layouts.
Then the curveballs hit. Budgets get cut. Products get backordered. Contractors push back. Clients suddenly change their minds. Designers must defend, rethink, or completely rebuild their specifications live on
Designers don’t always agree and that’s what makes this session worth attending! In this fast-paced live debate, top designers go head-to-head on the choices that define every kitchen: appliances, cabinetry, surfaces, lighting, and layouts.
Then the curveballs hit. Budgets get cut. Products get backordered. Contractors push back. Clients suddenly change their minds. Designers must defend, rethink, or completely rebuild their specifications live on stage.
Expect strong opinions, surprise pivots, audience reactions, and plenty of industry truth bombs as design ambition meets real-world constraints. Entertaining and strategic, see how they adapt, problem-solve, and still deliver exceptional spaces under pressure.
