Building with AI: From Storytelling to Real Products
I was delighted to join Silja Kim Bast, Breezm's Chief Business Officer, in her midtown NYC shop to learn how they use 3D modeling and AI design innovation to make their stylish, lightweight, custom-fit glasses. Together with Sally Chung, an AI Design Advisor and Professor at Parsons School of Design & Founder of Designpreneurs, we discussed how the design world uniquely uses AI tools, not only to reduce the cost and time of production, but also to differentiate their products and brands.
Here are some highlights from our discussion:
Human-in-the-loop: AI & Storytelling
We discussed how AI is reshaping content creation for both startups and corporates. Authenticity matters more than ever and brands can avoid "AI-average" through high-quality storytelling. Silja shared how Breezm utilizes AI for product storytelling while maintaining a strong human creative voice through experienced copywriters. Sally shared how Breezm's participation in the SXSW AI x Storytelling Hackathon was a case study in connecting creative their AI storytelling to inspire their customers and showcase personalization with AI. Breezm’s success demonstrated that AI storytelling works best when supported by a strong brand vision. While many fashion brands experimented with AI-generated storytelling and collaborations with AI creators, Breezm’s focus on AI-powered customization made the experience feel authentic, cohesive, and emotionally engaging rather than simply trend-driven.
AI Design and Product role transformation
As AI takes over more of the execution layer, we discussed how product and design roles are evolving, and how the conversation may shift from traditional Product-Market Fit toward “Agent-Market Fit,” where products are increasingly designed not only for humans, but also for AI agents and autonomous systems. Sally offered perspective on what capabilities, such as taste, systems thinking, human in the loop in the process becomes most valuable in the new agent-market fit era.We touched on how the future of design may become increasingly "post-UI", where experience design focuses less on visual interfaces alone, and more on systems, logic, behavior/service design behind the screens, and interactions between humans, agents, and robotics system. As AI lowers the barrier to building, the distinction between designer, engineer, and founder becomes increasingly blurred. In this new era, competitive advantage may come less from execution alone, and more from who can act as the orchestrator, combining systems thinking, strategic vision, strong creative direction, and the ability to design meaningful interactions between humans and AI systems.
AI STRATEGY AT THE SPEED OF INFERENCE: What Happens When Analysis Is Free
As a Columbia Women's Circle Board member, I’m hosting this NY Tech Week Panel Discussion, June 4th. I’m delighted to bring together AI experts on the topic of AI Strategy and look forward to our discussion!
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Strategic advantage has long rested on the quality of analysis: who could synthesize the most information, find the sharpest insight, and turn it into a defensible plan. AI has collapsed the cost and time of that work. Market intelligence that took six weeks now takes an afternoon, and is often stale by the time leadership convenes to discuss it.
When analysis is cheap, the activities that defined the strategist's role for fifty years (data gathering, framework application, deck construction) lose their economic value. What remains is judgment, narrative, political navigation, and the ability to commit an organization to action under uncertainty. Those skills are scarcer, harder to teach, and largely absent from how strategy talent is currently developed.
Join us on June 4 as this panel examines what that means for the people who buy strategy work, sell it, fund the firms disrupting it, and train the next generation expected to practice it.
Core Questions
What does decision-making look like at the speed of inference, and where does it break? How are PE operators and corporate boards repricing strategy services now that the underlying analytical labor has been commoditized? What is the new moat for consulting firms when generic models replicate most of a junior associate's output? If AI handles the apprenticeship work, how does the next generation of senior strategists develop the judgment AI cannot replicate? And where has this transformation underdelivered, and what are firms quietly walking back?
Panelists
● Jenny Fielding, Co-founder + Partner, Everywhere Ventures
● Kes Sampanthar, Founder & CEO, Centaurian AI
● David Thomson, Founder & CEO of Inevitable
● Iliya P. Zogovic, Founder & CEO, DBD Investment Bank
● Moderator Christine Alemany, Founder, Thrv Advisors (Women’s Circle Board Member)
REGISTRATION LINK: https://lnkd.in/ermCSeyz
https://partiful.com/e/h5ayMfeDR9TCZ0cuFGwX
Career transitions with Joyce Yung
I reflect on my impactful time at McKinsey and highlight the importance of connections during challenging times. My transition to consultancy is driven by a commitment to sustainability and meaningful change.
I offer invaluable insights on mentorship, navigating male-dominated industries, and building a strong professional network—all while balancing family life.
I discuss expanding businesses into international markets and her board experiences, she emphasizes curiosity and the power of networking for success.
I had so much fun chatting with Joyce Yung, whom I worked with when we lived in Hong Kong. I’ve reposted our discussion from NYC’s High Line.
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In this episode, I chat with Meagan Dietz, an accomplished COO, advisor, and board member. Meagan shares her remarkable career journey, including her bold decision to leave McKinsey during the 2008 financial crisis and how her network became a crucial support system.
With a passion for the Chinese market, she reflects on her impactful time at McKinsey and highlights the importance of connections during challenging times. Her transition to consultancy is driven by a commitment to sustainability and meaningful change.
Meagan offers invaluable insights on mentorship, navigating male-dominated industries, and building a strong professional network—all while balancing family life. As she discusses expanding businesses into international markets and her board experiences, she emphasizes curiosity and the power of networking for success.
Join us for an episode filled with wisdom and inspiration!
00:00 Biggest Career Challenge
02:21 Transitioning from McKinsey
04:01 Building a Global Career
09:27 Mentorship and Networking
12:04 Sustainability Focus
13:19 Board Membership Insights
15:38 International Career Lessons
18:55 Fun Fact and Conclusion
Subscribe to my podcast:
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More about Meagan Dietz:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/meagan-dietz-63236a/
More About Joyce Yung:
https://www.instagram.com/yungjoyce/
https://linktr.ee/yungjoyce
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bold-moves-meagan-dietz-on-career-transitions-and/id1500429874?i=1000732576544
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w58VG2nGYJs
Fight or flight
Why My Fight Response Makes Me a Fierce Leader
In a world that often preaches compromise and consensus, I'm here to tell you why my natural fight response—my instinct to stand firm, push back, and engage directly with challenges—is exactly what my companies need in a leader.
The Power of Unwavering Resolve
When obstacles arise, my first instinct isn't to retreat or find the middle ground. It's to dig in and fight through. This isn't reckless aggression—it's purposeful determination that creates breakthrough moments when others would settle for mediocrity.
My fight response has taught me to:
Never accept "impossible" as a final answer when the mission matters
Stand firm on core values even when it's commercially inconvenient
Push through resistance that stops other leaders in their tracks
Fight for my team when they need protection and advocacy
Leading from the Front Lines
While some leaders manage from boardrooms, my fight response puts me directly in the arena