AI and the Battle for the Soul of Design - Chris McComb - Carnegie Mellon University

Organization:Carnegie Mellon UniversityPresenter:Chris McCombRecorded at CDFAM Computational Design Symposium, NYC, October 29-30, 2025https://cdfam.com/nyc-2025/AI and the Battle for the Soul of DesignPresentation AbstractArtificial intelligence is reshaping the landscape of design and additive manufacturing, accelerating creative workflows while challenging long-held assumptions about authorship, originality, and human intuition. As AI becomes more deeply embedded in computational design tools, it offers unprecedented capabilities for exploration, optimization, and customization—often revealing solutions that elude traditional design methods. Yet this power comes with profound questions: What does it mean to design when machines generate ideas? How do we preserve the human element in a process increasingly influenced by algorithmic reasoning? This presentation examines emerging patterns in AI-driven design, the shifting role of the designer, and the ethical dilemmas that arise when intelligence—natural and artificial—co-create. Through examples from additive manufacturing and beyond, it offers a vision for navigating this new design frontier without losing sight of the creative soul at its core.Speaker BioChris McComb is the Gerard G. Elia Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. His lab, the Design Research Collective, advances interdisciplinary design research by merging perspectives from engineering, manufacturing, psychology, and computer science. He also serves as the Director of the Human+AI Design Initiative, an interdisciplinary and international group of researchers focused on application of human-AI collaboration to design, with support by industry partners. He is affiliated with the NextManufacturing Center, the Manufacturing Future Institute, and the Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy Innovation. His research interests include human social systems in design and engineering; machine learning for engineering design; human-AI collaboration and teaming; computation for advanced manufacturing; and STEM education. He received dual B.S. degrees in civil and mechanical engineering from California State University-Fresno. He later attended Carnegie Mellon University as a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow, where he obtained his M.S. and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.designforam.com