AI has triggered joy and fear, fascination and wariness, love and hate. It underpins the future of just about everything we will do, won’t do, will make, won’t make, as well as our fundamental beliefs as artists, filmmakers, musicians, designers and educators.
Lauren Cantor, a polymath, multidisciplinary strategist with a focus on venture-based design, is an accomplished management executive who changed careers and graduated from the School of Visual Arts MFA Design program in order to follow her passions after working on Wall Street for close to 20 years. She now runs her own design consulting firm, Field & Edge, is a founding partner for an AI-driven consulting collective, NextAccess, and teaches design entrepreneurship.
Cantor’s venture Verses Over Variables—which I consider the best online/email digest of AI innovation, education and elucidation—launched in June, driven by what she describes as a trio of realizations: “the wealth of AI insights I wanted to share, my passion for writing about AI, and a desire to illuminate AI’s transformative potential in productivity and creativity.” I recommend this insightful, beautifully written weekly to everyone who is concerned about AI from every corner of our creative communication universe. You’ll thank me, I’m sure of it. This Q&A with Cantor was conducted via email … but was not generated by AI (although she conceived the visuals below produced using Midjourney).
How did your intense interest in AI develop? And what triggered the newsletter?
It was the fall of 2022, and Dall-E and Midjourney had just been released to the public. I was teaching at ArtCenter College of Design and SVA at the time, and I’ve always made it a point to stay ahead of my students when it comes to new tools. Once I started playing around with these AI platforms, I was completely hooked. It was like falling down the most fascinating rabbit hole you could imagine.
The real turning point came when ChatGPT was released. That’s when I realized we were on the cusp of something truly transformative. Last summer, I co-taught a course on using AI for branding design. Watching students harness these tools to amplify their creativity was nothing short of mindblowing.
As for the newsletter, the genesis is quite interesting. During the pandemic, I had started a newsletter about pop culture, tech and business—primarily as a personal, intellectual exercise. I found a small but engaged audience.
The real catalyst came during my 25th business school reunion at Wharton last spring. Conversations about my newsletter and my teaching led to two unexpected outcomes: a daily WhatsApp chat with classmates where we dive deep into AI technicalities, and the formation of NextAccess, an AI consultancy with 12 of my former classmates. I transitioned to Verses Over Variables in June 2024.
What are your general sources and how do you weed out the useful from the junk?
My approach to curating AI information is deeply rooted in my background as a Wall Street trader. In that world, sifting through news was crucial; company earnings, regulatory changes, elections, economic announcements, even weather reports could impact your trading position. This experience honed my ability to quickly identify relevant and impactful information across various domains.
While I’ve developed an AI program for headline searches, I still prefer a hands-on approach. I rely heavily on trusted newsletters and tech websites. This method allows me to maintain a holistic view of the AI landscape, balancing technical developments with broader implications.
It’s a combination of using cutting-edge tools and good old-fashioned critical thinking. In the world of AI, where developments happen at breakneck speed, it’s crucial to have a discerning eye and a solid foundation of knowledge to separate the signal from the noise.
What triggered your pivot to education … or has it always been there?
The truth is, education has always been a passion of mine, dating back to my college years when I served as a TA for executive education science labs. After graduation, despite my degree in astrophysics and a minor in mathematics, I faced discouragement when trying to enter the teaching profession. I was told outright that “girls don’t teach math or science”—a statement that seems almost unbelievable now, but was all too real then.
Throughout my career, I’ve always played the role of a “translator,” making complex concepts accessible across various fields. I did this with my research and presentations on Wall Street, my seminars with Strategyzer and my personal consulting work.
The pandemic provided an unexpected opportunity to reignite my teaching career through online platforms (especially at SVA). This experience reaffirmed my love for making business concepts accessible, leading me to expand my teaching engagements. I found that I really enjoyed making business accessible, so I reached out to ArtCenter.
What I’ve discovered is that teaching, particularly in the realm of emerging technologies like AI, allows me to combine all aspects of my background—the analytical rigor from my science days, the fast-paced decision-making from Wall Street, and the strategic thinking from my business ventures. It’s incredibly fulfilling to be able to bridge these worlds for my students.
What is the goal of your AI explorations?
At its core, my exploration of AI is driven by an insatiable curiosity and a commitment to lifelong learning. If I could be a professional student forever, I absolutely would. Currently, I’m taking a class on AI agents and developing automated tools, constantly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible for me with AI.
But it goes beyond personal interest. Through NextAccess, the AI consultancy I co-founded, I’m working to help businesses navigate the complex landscape of AI, identifying opportunities for innovation and efficiency.
On a day-to-day level, I use AI constantly. It enhances my productivity, sharpens my thinking, and allows me to create things I never could have on my own. It’s like having a tireless collaborator that’s always ready to brainstorm or tackle complex problems.
Ultimately, my goal is to be a bridge between the technical aspects of AI and its practical, real-world applications—whether that is through writing or teaching or consulting. I want to demystify AI, to show people its potential for boosting productivity and creativity in tangible ways. There’s so much fear-mongering about AI, but I see incredible possibilities for human-AI collaboration, and I want to help others see and seize those opportunities.
How do you believe AI will change design education and, ultimately, practice?
AI is not just changing design education, it’s revolutionizing it. It’s becoming an indispensable part of the curriculum because, frankly, students need to master these tools to stay competitive in their future careers. The old adage, “AI won’t take your job, but someone who knows how to use AI will,” rings truer every day in the design world.
Education itself is evolving rapidly. We’re moving away from traditional lecture formats towards more project-based, collaborative approaches. AI tools allow us to create immersive learning experiences that were simply not possible before. For instance, I can now use AI to generate a virtual negotiation partner for my students or create complex funding scenario simulations for startup workshops.
In professional practice, AI is becoming an invaluable tool for ideation, rapid prototyping, and even project management. It’s not about replacing human creativity, but augmenting it. Designers who can effectively leverage AI will have a significant advantage in the job market.
The challenge for educators is to stay ahead of this curve, to teach not just the tools themselves, but the critical thinking skills needed to use them effectively. We need to prepare students for a world where AI is a collaborator, not just a tool.
There has been debate whether to call it a “tool” or something with more weight. How do you feel?
I view AI as a tool, but an extraordinarily powerful one. It’s comparable to how the calculator or the internet transformed various fields. AI eliminates much of the grunt work, allowing professionals to focus on higher-level thinking and creativity.
That said, it’s a tool that requires skill and judgment to use effectively. I often describe it as having a tireless intern—it can do a lot of the heavy lifting, but you still need to guide it and verify its work. The real magic happens when human creativity and AI capabilities are combined thoughtfully.
Calling it “just a tool” might understate its transformative potential, but elevating it to something more than a tool risks obscuring the crucial role of human insight and creativity in its application. The debate itself is fascinating because it reflects our evolving relationship with technology and our attempts to understand its place in our work and lives.
Can AI become its own “artform,” or is that off the table?
I believe AI is already emerging as its own form of artistic expression, particularly in the realm of graphic art. The big issue, of course, is how the models are trained when it comes to copyright. But I think the new models, or at least the way responsible artists are prompting them, are moving away from directly referencing other artists’ work.
It’s reminiscent of how painters initially reacted to photography, or how traditional artists viewed digital art. What constitutes the artist’s palette in the age of AI? Personally, I find that AI tools like Midjourney give me a creative freedom I’ve never experienced before. As someone with a math-oriented brain, I’ve always found it challenging to break rules or draw outside the lines in traditional artforms. AI tools provide a new medium for expression that isn’t constrained by my technical drawing skills.
That said, I’ve worked hard to understand the techniques and the ethical considerations of using these tools. It’s about finding that balance between leveraging AI as a creative medium and respecting the work of other artists. As this field evolves, I think we’ll see entirely new genres of art emerge that are uniquely enabled by AI, just as we saw with the advent of digital art tools.
Where do you think you will take AI … or where will it take you?
That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it? I’m committed to continuing my journey as both a student and an educator in this field. I hope to expand my teaching to reach a broader audience, helping more people understand how AI can enhance their daily lives and professional practices.
On the consulting side, I’m excited about the work we’re doing with NextAccess. We’re helping businesses navigate the AI landscape, identifying opportunities for innovation and efficiency. I see tremendous potential for AI to solve real-world problems, and I want to be part of that solution.
Personally, I’m always pushing myself to learn more. Whether it’s diving deeper into the technical aspects of AI or exploring its philosophical implications, I find this field endlessly fascinating.
Ultimately, I think AI will take us to places we can hardly imagine right now. My role, as I see it, is to help people navigate this new landscape—to see the opportunities, understand the challenges, and use AI as a force for positive change. It’s an exhilarating time to be in this field, and I can’t wait to see where it takes us next.