Stead, Michael (2025) Resistance Is Not Futile : Challenging Hegemonic AI Through Regenerative Sustainable Design Futuring . In: Fashion + AI: A Symposium of Leading Industry and HE Experts - Nottingham School of Art & Design / Nottingham Trent University, 2025-12-10 - 2025-12-10, Nottingham School of Art & Design.
Full text not available from this repository.Abstract
Emergent AI tools are increasingly being promoted as key enablers of a sustainable transition in Design and across wider society. Yet, like the technologies preceding it, the recent, rampant adoption of AI is itself causing injurious environmental impacts, as well as disrupting notions of design ownership and even jeopardising designers’ livelihoods. With planetary boundaries ever closer to tipping point, how we develop and design with AI must fundamentally evolve. We must design for the difficult, longer-term environmental and social implications (the risks, rebounds and defuturing) that AI will engender, rather than simply for the short-term, economic and utilitarian benefits it can bring. Through this critical lens, this keynote will navigate… Techno-fix Accelerationism - how current AI perpetuates the hegemonic capitalist agenda of a handful of mega corporations. Crafting Sustainability – how the simulacra-like nature of AI challenges the tacit knowledge and skills inherent to regenerative sustainable design practice. Refuturing AI – how Speculative Design approaches can help designers envision more sustainable and equitable design futures for AI. The Regenerative AI Designer – how designers might begin to exercise their creative agency and develop regenerative sustainable AI competencies.