SOUTHFIELD, Mich., Sept. 2, 2025—Lawrence Technological University’s College of Architecture and Design (CoAD) will present an innovative event exploring the intersection of AI technology and design on Sept. 25, 2025, during Detroit Month of Design.
A unique panel discussion titled “Designing with Intelligence: An AI Collection of Speculative Objects,” will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Detroit Institute of Arts. Architecture and design experts will debate how AI can be integrated into design practices, its impact on art and design, and how LTU is preparing the next generation of designers and architects to use these tools effectively. This event highlights how AI is shaping the future of design, fostering innovation, and bridging the city’s industrial past with its digital future.
Leading up CoAD’s Design Month exploration, CoAD students, alumni, faculty, and industry professionals explored Detroit’s industrial legacy through AI workshops at the DIA, producing speculative works that reinterpret historical and contemporary design using emerging technologies. These AI-generated pieces will serve as the catalyst for a panel discussion on the role of artificial intelligence in architecture and design education.
Distinguished designers and architects will provide their expertise and pose challenging AI-aided architectural and design scenarios to attendees. Jason Vigneri-Beane, professor, Pratt School of Architecture; Humbi Song, assistant professor and Emerging Architect Fellow, University of Toronto; Shelley Selim, Mort Harris Curator of Automotive, Industrial, and Decorative Design, the Detroit Institute of Arts; and Curry J. Hackett, teaching associate in Urban Planning and Design, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, will present from their unique perspectives. LTU Interim Provost and former Dean of CoAD Karl Daubmann and Assistant Professor of Architecture Sara Codarin, PhD, will moderate the discussion.
As the only site in the United States designated as a UNESCO Design City, Detroit will host the 10th year of the Month of Design. September has been designated as Design Month each year.
CoAD Interim Dean Lilian Crum said, “We’re grateful for the opportunity to demonstrate our commitment to critically engaging with AI-supported design and bring experts into the conversation around these quickly evolving tools that our students and faculty are embracing. Our partnership with the Detroit Institute of Arts and Design Core has been a boon to our design community and reinforces UNESCO’s decision to name Detroit its only U.S. “City of Design.”
The panel discussion is open to the public. Registration is required for the free event and can be made by clicking here.
Lawrence Technological University, www.ltu.edu, is one of only 13 independent, technological, comprehensive doctoral universities in the United States. Located in Southfield, Mich., LTU was founded in 1932, and offers more than 100 programs through its Colleges of Architecture and Design, Arts and Sciences, Business and Information Technology, Engineering, and Health Sciences, as well as Specs@LTU, which offers communication training programs of the former Specs Howard School, and LTU’s growing Center for Professional Development. PayScale lists Lawrence Tech among the nation’s top 11 percent of universities for alumni salaries. Forbes and The Wall Street Journal rank LTU among the nation’s top 10 percent. U.S. News and World Report lists it in the top tier of best in the Midwest colleges. Students benefit from small class sizes and a real-world, hands-on, “theory and practice” education with an emphasis on leadership. Activities on Lawrence Tech’s 107-acre campus include more than 60 student organizations and NAIA varsity sports.
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