The first Senator Lab event, 'Designing AI-Powered Workplaces', took place at our London showroom in partnership with Baker Stuart. Bringing together designers, architects, occupiers, consultants and property professionals, the panel explored the evolving role of Artificial Intelligence in the workplace - examining both opportunity and risk across stratergy, design, technology and organisational psychology. 

As AI adoption accelerates, the discussion reflected on the optimism, caution and uncertainty surrounding its impact. The panel compared AI's influence to previous technological shifts, while recgonising the speed and intensity of change facing organisations today.

The panel featured Dr Nigel Oseland, Colin Stuart of Baker Stuart, Mark Eltringham, Emma Wharton Love and Archie Cobb, who explored what AI is - and what it is not. AI was described as powerful, but still imature, excelling at automation and pattern recgonition as opposed to genuine understandings.

The key takeaway was that AI will replace tasks as opposed to entire jobs - therefore reshaping roles into more hybrid ways of working.

While AI can accelerate ideation and efficiency, the panel highlighted the importance of human direction to avoid ceating a homogenisation and increased burnout.

The conversation concluded with a clear message.

AI must remain assisted, not autonomous, and workplaces must be intentionally designed to balance productivity, creativity and wellbeing. 

As one panellist summarised, "AI will become another member of the team - doing the drudgery of tasks, so that we can focus on directing, reviewing and imagining"

Join us at future Senator Lab conversations here.