From sound to space, code to craft—on May 2, 2025, the Generative AI for Design Workshop (DESAI25) brought together architects, engineers, computer scientists, artists, and designers at the MIT Media Lab to envision the future of design powered by generative artificial intelligence.

Organized by Alaa Algargoosh, Assistant Professor of Architecture at Virginia Tech and Research Affiliate at the MIT Media Lab, the workshop was the first of its kind to focus explicitly on the intersection of generative AI and performance-based design. The event was co-organized by Sarah Mokhtar, Nikhil Singh, Mohammad Amiri, and Faez Ahmed, each bringing deep expertise across acoustic design, 3D reconstruction, computer science, and mechanical engineering.

“While text and image-based AI have surged forward, design fields rooted in space, materials, and multisensory experience remain largely untapped and full of potential,” said Algargoosh during her opening remarks. “This workshop is about accelerating that shift.”

A Day of Discovery and Dialogue

The day featured three presentation sessions:

• Generative Design, Computation & Fabrication
• Generative AI for Visualization, Media & Interaction
• Machine Learning Models for Design

Each session showcased projects that applied AI to real-world design challenges from fabrication to AI-assisted spatial storytelling.

In the afternoon, a panel discussion unpacked the ethical, technical, and creative implications of using AI in design. The panel featured:

Anna Huang (MIT)

Caitlin Mueller (MIT)

Karl D.D. Willis (Autodesk)

Mina Konaković Luković (MIT)

Shrikant Savant (Solidworks)

Wojciech Matusik (MIT) 

The discussion was followed by a keynote talk by Mark Fuge, Chair of Artificial Intelligence in Engineering Design at ETH Zurich. His talk, “Machines That Learn How to Design Other Machines,” explored applications of Inverse Design for Aerodynamic and Heat Transfer surfaces, among other examples.

From Sonic Sculpting to Shared Futures

DESAI25 emerged from Algargoosh’s own research on Sonic Sculpting—a project that reconstructs the 3D geometry of rooms from their acoustic signatures. Originally sparked at the Media Lab during her postdoctoral fellowship, the project became the seed for this larger conversation about how generative AI can reshape the ways we conceive, simulate, and sense design.

The workshop concluded with the announcement of the Best Presentation Award, celebrating excellence in cross-disciplinary design research.

A Continuing Conversation

DESAI25 was sponsored by the MIT IBK Program and the MIT Morningside Academy for Design, with support from the MIT Media Lab and Virginia Tech. Organizers are already considering making it an annual event.

“Let us shape this emerging field together,” Algargoosh said in her closing. “This is only the beginning.”