From Interface to Agency: a New Discourse for Design and AI

The Inaugural MDes Forum on Emerging Technology examines the rise of Agentic Systems and the emerging design practice required to shape them

About this Event

Treating agents as consequential actors rather than neutral tools, this symposium asks what is automated, for whom, and at what cost. We bring together adjacent fields - cybernetics, ontological design, critical making, generative design, service design, critical data studies, and STS - to articulate methods, histories, and standards for an emerging practice we call Agent Design or Design for Agentic Systems .

This one-day, invitation-only, in-person event is organized by the University of California, Berkeley’s Master of Design (MDes) faculty, and will feature three formats: individual keynotes, small panel discussions, and five-minute "lightning" talks.

For complete program and schedule, check the Forum website.

Agenda


🕑: 09:00 AM - 09:10 AM
Welcome
Host: Kyle Steinfeld

🕑: 09:10 AM - 09:50 AM
Keynote - Andrew Pickering
Host: Andrew Pickering

🕑: 09:50 AM - 10:45 AM
Dialog: Agent Design as Ontological Design
Host: Terry Winograd

🕑: 10:55 AM - 11:25 AM
Lightning Talks

🕑: 11:25 AM - 12:00 PM
Keynote - Maggie Gram
Host: Maggie Gram

🕑: 12:05 PM - 01:00 PM
Lunch

🕑: 01:00 PM - 01:40 PM
Keynote - Liz Danzico
Host: Liz Danzico

🕑: 01:40 PM - 02:40 PM
Dialog: Crafting Interactions for Agentic Systems
Host: Jodi Forlizzi

🕑: 02:40 PM - 03:15 PM
Lightning Talks

🕑: 03:15 PM - 03:25 PM
Break

🕑: 03:25 PM - 04:30 PM
Dialog: Critical Spatial Practices for Agentic Systems
Host: Eryk Salvaggio

🕑: 04:30 PM - 05:10 PM
Keynote - Bruce Sterling
Host: Bruce Sterling

🕑: 05:10 PM - 05:35 PM
Keynote Dialog
Host: Maggie Gram

🕑: 05:35 PM - 05:45 PM
Wrap-Up
Host: Kyle Steinfeld

🕑: 05:45 PM - 06:00 PM
Walk to Reception Venue

🕑: 06:00 PM - 07:00 PM
Reception

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