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As these creative technologies become essential to artistic and conceptual practices, students must learn to engage with them critically through experimentation, not simply adopting them for novelty. How can design education cultivate critical thinking and conceptual depth alongside technical skills? How can these emerging tools be effectively integrated into current design curricula?

There is increasing emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration, especially in courses such as data visualization and computational design, as well as large-scale, grant-funded research initiatives. These experiences seek structural changes that promote both technical proficiency and broader system thinking. Design today is not just visually communicative, it is structural, experiential and systematic. Designers are now key collaborators in interdisciplinary research, shaping innovative, experience driven outcomes with societal impact. What new skills do designers need to thrive in these roles?

Through interdisciplinary collaborations, the development of a new design degree program, and student learning outcomes at our institutions, the panel offers critical insights into how design education can navigate this moving target. Rather than offering definitive answers, we invite dialogue on how to prepare the next generation of designers for an increasingly complex and technology-driven future.