Solving complex business problems by thinking critically, collaborating creatively, and using AI intentionally.
Today鈥檚 complex business challenges require both AI and human judgment. Design Thinking with AI teaches leaders how to combine Design Thinking, human collaboration, and artificial intelligence to solve complex problems and drive innovation. Participants learn when to use three modes of problem-solving鈥攖hinking alone, thinking in teams, and thinking with machines鈥攖o frame problems, explore different perspectives, generate ideas, and rapidly create and test prototypes. This program also explores when AI can strengthen creative thinking and when human judgment is needed to keep AI from narrowing ideas too quickly.
Through hands-on exercises, participants apply AI-enabled Design Thinking methods to real-world business challenges and test-drive Aperture, a new tool developed at 糖心Vlog视频 Tepper that shows how creative thinking evolves across individuals, teams, and AI. You will leave with practical methods for human-AI collaboration, an action plan for applying Design Thinking with AI in your organization, and greater confidence using AI to support problem-solving, innovation, and strategic decision-making.
Participant Insight
"Design Thinking pushes us to be iterative and helps me keep hope alive. This program is seriously shifting how I think about AI鈥攏ot just as a tool for convenience, but as a creative partner that can help unlock new ways of solving problems. One of the coolest moments so far? Getting hands-on with OpenAI, Figma AI and Fliki AI鈥攏ot just for rapid prototyping but even crafting a full-on commercial. Seeing these tools in action has me thinking about how AI can push the boundaries of design, accessibility, storytelling, and conflict-solving in more equitable, human-centered ways. AI isn鈥檛 here to replace creativity鈥攊t鈥檚 here to expand it. And when we pair it with Design Thinking, we make sure innovation is driven by real people, real needs, and real impact. I can鈥檛 wait to bring these insights into my work in the arts, history, and museum spaces."
鈥� Vice President, IDEA, Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh
Key Takeaways
- Learn a disciplined method for tackling complex, systemic problems where the right answer is not obvious.
- Develop fluency in moving between three modes of creative work: thinking alone, thinking in teams, and thinking with machines, and knowing when each is called for.
- Explore practical techniques for bringing AI into creative and strategic work without letting it narrow your thinking or your team's.
- Enhance the ability to move quickly from idea to prototype, using AI to make concepts vivid and testable.
- Cultivate sharper judgment for navigating uncertainty and leading human-AI collaboration in your organization.
Who Should Attend
- Executives, managers, and team leads in global organizations
- Entrepreneurs and early-stage founders
- Product, innovation, and strategy professionals
- Designers, analysts, and technologists seeking to sharpen their creative problem-solving toolkit
- Individuals pursuing a Certificate in Executive Leadership + AI
Sample Schedule
While subject to change, the following schedule gives participants an idea of what to expect in this program.
Introduction
We open by reframing what it means to solve complex problems in a moment when AI is embedded in almost every step of the work. This session introduces Design Thinking as a disciplined human-centered method, and positions AI as a collaborator that can open-up perspective and accelerate reasoning when used with intention, or quietly close-down both when it is not.
Discover
Discover widens the lens. Participants map the wider landscape around a challenge: the forces shaping it, the people affected by it, and the assumptions hidden beneath the surface. AI accelerates this sensemaking, surfacing diverse viewpoints, patterns, and nuances that help teams see the challenge with fresh eyes. The goal is deeper understandings, not quick answers.
Define
Define sharpens focus. Participants move from broad exploration to a well-framed statement of the problem worth solving. AI helps compare framings, pressure-test assumptions, and refine language so the challenge is expressed with precision and purpose. A strong definition sets the foundation for meaningful creativity.
Ideate
Ideate opens creative flow. Participants generate possibilities, stretch beyond familiar thinking, and learn when to hold divergence open longer than feels comfortable. In this session, participants also test-drive Aperture, a new tool from CMU Tepper that surfaces when the group is opening ideas up, when it is closing them down, and when AI itself is pulling the work toward premature convergence. The aim is momentum, range, and a wide field of promising directions, with the discipline to know when to move on.
Day One Closing
We close by weaving the day together. Participants reflect on what shifted in their thinking, how AI expanded their view, and how each stage builds toward the next. We preview Day Two's transition from possibility to prototype: moving ideas into forms people can react to, challenge, and evolve.
Prototype and Test
Prototype and Test turns ideas into something others can actually experience. Participants build simple, expressive prototypes that give shape to future possibilities. AI accelerates this transformation by bringing concepts to life through vivid visual or narrative forms. Teams share their prototypes, gather feedback, and iterate, refining clarity and strengthening the work.
Team Presentations
Teams present their prototypes through concise, compelling storytelling. The emphasis is on clarity, resonance, and the decision-making power of a well-framed idea. AI-enhanced storytelling helps convey concepts with confidence and enables sharper critique across the group.
Program Closing: The Future of Design Thinking with AI
A forward-looking conversation on how AI is reshaping creativity, collaboration, and leadership. Participants consider the new skills the moment demands, the emerging opportunities it opens, and the evolving role of design thinking as AI becomes part of everyday strategic work.
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