Craft and Consequence in the Age of Artificial Intelligence

As AI reshapes how designers work, what's left is judgment, taste, and hard questions about the planet we're building it on.
About this Event

Design is a discipline defined by craft: the skill of making things and the judgment behind what gets made, for whom, and at what cost.

Artificial intelligence is fundamentally changing how we approach our craft, and those changes are changing exponentially. The production layer is being compressed and reconfigured in real time, faster than our processes can keep up with.

What remains alongside our new-found automation is taste, judgment, synthesis, and the ability to navigate ambiguity. The true value of design has always been upstream, and the execution layer has always acted as a proxy for communicating our decision making.

Additionally, the tools we’re adopting to accelerate our work are among the most resource-intensive technologies humans have ever built. Training and running AI models consumes large amounts of energy and water. The data centers that power them are frequently constructed in areas that benefit the least from their development and suffer the most. For designers who claim responsibility for the world we help build, we must have the hard conversations regarding AI’s role in our climate.

This talk challenges designers to ask themselves two things:

1. How do we effectively practice our craft when the tools are fundamentally altering our processes?
2. How do we continue being intentional practitioners when we can see clearly what those tools cost?

We can't wait to dig into these questions with you—come ready to think, push back, and connect with fellow designers and tech friends navigating this moment together.

Meet the speaker

Emily Blackwell is a Lead Product Designer at LeagueApps in New York City, where she has spent over 3 years shaping youth sports management experiences. She has 20 years of experience designing printed, spacial, and digital products in financial technology, education technology, and B2B SaaS spaces. A graduate of Indiana University, she believes that craft is less about polishing artifacts and more about the judgment underneath them: who a decision serves, and at what cost. That conviction is communicated through her mantra: great design cares about people. When she's not designing, you'll find her drawing, reading, cycling, or watching films.

Meet our sponsor

Goodshuffle Pro is an all-in-one software platform for event rental companies. From managing inventory and logistics to creating client quotes, contracts, and payments, their tools simplify the behind-the-scenes work that powers great events. Founded by former event professionals, Goodshuffle Pro is designed with real industry needs in mind — helping teams save time, prevent errors, and focus on delivering unforgettable experiences. Learn more at pro.goodshuffle.com.

About Refresh DC

Refresh DC is a community for designers, engineers, product, and tech folks in the DMV who want to learn, connect, and grow together. We host casual meetups, thoughtful talks, and creative conversations that explore where design, code, and tech culture meet. It’s a space for sharing real-world insights, asking good questions, and building what’s next—together. Whether you’re deep in your career or just getting started, Refresh DC is here to help you stay sharp, stay curious, and stay connected. Subscribe to the newsletter to be notified of future events.

Agenda

🕑: 06:00 PM - 06:30 PM
Doors open + socializing
🕑: 06:30 PM - 07:00 PM
Speaker presentation
🕑: 07:00 PM - 07:15 PM
Q&A
🕑: 07:15 PM - 07:30 PM
Community announcements
🕑: 07:30 PM - 08:00 PM
Socializing