Within the work of New York–based designer Jocelyn Zhao, computational algorithms transform digital art into tactile experiences with real physical presence. “Whether designing a complex AI product, brand system or spatial experience, I combine generative design with rigorous structural system designs,” she explains. “I draw deep inspiration from the tension between traditional craftsmanship and contemporary coding, lately fueled by the playful AI experiments of the digital creative community.” This extension of the physical into the digital presents a culmination of Zhao’s artistic practice from her ten-year foundation of painting during her childhood. Searching for media that would take her beyond the traditional while she attended university in China, Zhao fell in love with graphic design and eventually studied at the ArtCenter College of Design, graduating in 2023. Now, she works as a graphic and product designer at Google Creative Lab in New York. “My expertise lies at the intersection of corporate technologies and visual communication, encompassing computer generative design and creative coding,” Zhao says. “At Google, I collaborate with creative directors, designers, technologists, filmmakers and writers to communicate Google’s innovations and explore future applications of AI through design.” However, she remains firm in centering humanity within AI-powered creative tools instead of using those tools to replace artists. “AI can generate content at scale, but it can’t replace human taste, lived experience and genuine creativity—the exact elements that give design its soul,” she says. “I hope to steer the industry toward a future where intelligent tech feels warm and intuitive instead of cold and utility-driven.”