Learning Curve A Tale of Two AI Design Projects
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Mar 31, 2026 Margaret Miao, a Princeton student advocating for transparency and human-made traditions. Cole Collins, a Babson student who scaled AI images into 3D-printed furniture. Reese Gardner, a Babson creative entrepreneur who prototyped an AI-designed chair and cofounded Bind. Valerie Kite, SCAD curriculum leader integrating AI and ethics into design teaching. They discuss AI-driven design workflows, prototyping to production, ethics and attribution, and curriculum responses.
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From Prompt To 3D Printed Chair
- Reese Gardner discovered DALL·E at Babson and within minutes generated polished graphic designs without formal training.
- He then used Meshi to convert an AI image into a 3D model and 3D printed a miniature lounge chair at the campus makerspace, sparking the project.
Design As Ideation And Curation
- Reese framed his role as 'ideation' where AI generates hundreds of designs and human taste curates the best options.
- He called meta-prompting and curation the core skills as prototyping accelerates from hours to minutes.
Students Partnered With Manufacturer To Build The Dam Chair
- Cole Collins and Reese partnered with Decibel Made to scale the AI-generated mini model into a full-size 3D printed chair called the Dam Chair.
- The final product used 100% recycled wood fibers and cellulose and underwent CAD iterations with the manufacturer.