Futureheads Five Stories

To coincide with his talk on December 5th, Kevin McCullagh has been interviewed by the recruitment consultants Futureheads. Reflecting the agency’s genuine engagement with a community of specialised digital disciplines, the interviewer got Kev talking about his specialisms and his insight on the issues and events that form the world of mobile communication and mobility.

On his expertise:
I now focus on the ever more intersecting areas of mobility, tech and cities, which I find absolutely fascinating. The level of change and the magnitude of the challenges in this space suggest that there is plenty to keep me occupied for many years to come.

On writing:
As all designers know, getting ideas out of your head and onto paper is a reality check. The same goes for writing: it externalises our thinking, so it can be interrogated and refined. More of today’s design challenges are hard to capture in sketches and visuals, and writing is an extra way of capturing and developing early ideas.

On the biggest challenge over the next five years:
Articulating a well-judged, compelling and nuanced case for human strengths in an era of AI-based automation.

Kev will expand on his ideas with regard to automation at his talk. He’ll put the case for thinking about the future of automation as interlacing machine strengths with those of humans. Work will need redesigning, he’ll explain, but the AI enabled automation — done well — can unlock economic growth and fuel innovation. To read more of the interview go here or to book a place at the talk go here.

Originally published at Plan.