Founding the AI Design Lab at O'Reilly Media
As a proactive leader in integrating generative AI into visual design, I founded the AI Design Lab at O'Reilly Media. This biweekly initiative brings together the senior director of product design, product and marketing designers, and video leads to explore AI applications while addressing ethical and productivity challenges.
Motivation
The lab aimed to proactively position the design and video teams as leaders in applying generative AI—anticipating executive expectations, fostering innovation, and navigating ethical use while shaping company strategy and policy.
My role
To get ahead of the AI buzz, I kicked off a cross-functional design lab—sparking hands-on exploration of generative tools. I wrote the proposal as our North Star, not for execs, but to focus the team’s vision and momentum.
Collaborators
Ellie V
Director of marketing design
Phillip Hunter
Sr. director of product design
Matthew Woodruff
Sr. web manager
Keith Thompson
Video manager
Just the beginning of what’s possible
Strategic AI discovery
Identified best practices for using advanced tools and capabilities like Firefly, Ceros, and Gemma.
Innovative asset creation
Delivered high-quality animated and static visual assets by combining AI-driven generation with manual refinement in conventional design tools. These assets continue to support the Skunkworks and Brand Awareness campaigns and are used throughout marketing, sales, and publishing channels.
Driving business success
We accelerated campaigns and drove record lead generation using AI-powered visuals. We secured infosec and legal approval for the Ceros Gemma tool and embedded it into the copy team’s workflow—maintaining continuity and efficiency after a reduction in team capacity.
Establishing ethical standards
Influenced the evolution of legal and ethical policies around AI-generated visual assets and freelance artist contracts.