Dscout and Design Executive Council Unite to Launch 'The AI Shift'

Download the new report on the role of AI for research and design leaders, from Dscout and the Design Executive Council

Insights from leaders at Amazon, JPMorgan, and Sephora on using generative AI for business impact, while keeping research and design human.

CHICAGO, IL, UNITED STATES, May 6, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Dscout, the leading experience research platform, and the Design Executive Council (DXC), the premier membership network for corporate design executives, today announced the release of a landmark report: The AI Shift: Transforming How We Discover, Imagine, and Deliver.

At a time when generative AI (GenAI) is moving to the center of business growth strategies, Dscout and DXC partnered to explore how research and design leadership must evolve, harnessing AI while protecting the uniquely human capabilities that drive innovation, customer connection, and ethical decision-making.

"Research and design leadership is being rewritten in real time," said Gordon Ching, Founder and CEO of Design Executive Council. "This content partnership with Dscout captures not just the challenges of this transformation, but the enormous opportunities for those ready to lead."

Conducted in early 2025, "The AI Shift" brings together firsthand perspectives from design and research leaders at JPMorgan Chase, Cigna, AT&T, Amazon, and Sephora.

Key findings emphasize:
- In a world increasingly shaped by AI, research and design are no longer tactical functions—they are strategic levers for business transformation. The disciplines must evolve from delivering outputs to shaping organizational foresight, guiding responsible innovation, and protecting human-centered decision-making.
- AI offers unprecedented speed, but with it comes risk. While automation can enhance efficiency, it also amplifies the potential for shallow insights, ethical missteps, and misplaced priorities. Future-ready leaders will harness AI not just to move faster, but to move smarter—using human expertise to ensure rigor, relevance, and trust.
- The organizations that thrive in an AI-driven world will be those that embed research and design at the earliest stages of business strategy. Researchers and designers must champion long-term thinking, ethical frameworks, and the creation of user experiences that anticipate, rather than react to, emerging needs.
- As machines automate tasks, the uniquely human skills of empathy, imagination, ethical judgment, and critical thinking will become even more valuable. Organizations that invest in strengthening these capabilities, rather than sidelining them, will lead in building trust, loyalty, and sustainable innovation.
- The future demands new organizational models that break down silos and foster hybrid expertise. Research and design teams must be restructured to work fluidly with product, engineering, and data science, ensuring that human-centered perspectives guide AI development, scaling not just technology, but trust. Andrew Birgiolas, Head of Product Design, Analytics & Experimentation at Sephora, emphasized the critical opportunity: "Researchers can now do better work, faster. We’re offloading grunt work to AI so we can focus on strategic priorities."

"Across every interview, the theme was clear: AI changes what we can do—but not what matters most," said Michael Winnick, CEO of Dscout. "This collaboration with Design Executive Council showcases how leading research and design teams can stay human, stay influential, and stay ahead."

The launch of "The AI Shift" builds on Dscout’s broader vision of accelerating innovation while keeping people at the center. In Spring 2024, Dscout introduced AI Analysis, an industry-specific feature that empowers teams to uncover deeper insights faster, offloading heavy data synthesis to AI so researchers can focus on interpretation, foresight, and action.

To further this conversation, Dscout and Design Executive Council will host a private executive breakfast at Figma’s user conference, Config 2025. The breakfast will bring together 30 senior design and research leaders to discuss the evolution of the practice and distribute early copies of "The AI Shift."

Download the full report here: https://www.dscout.com/lp/report-ai-shift-discover-imagine-design

About Dscout
Dscout is a flexible Experience Research Platform for capturing in-context insights from high-quality participants. Leading brands use Dscout to test ideas, iterate quickly, collaborate, and build confidently. Learn more at dscout.com.

About Design Executive Council
Design Executive Council (DXC) is the premier membership network for senior design executives shaping the world’s most influential companies. Members lead experience design organizations responsible for over $1 trillion in annual revenue across major public and private enterprises. DXC advances the strategic role of design leadership at the C-Suite and Board level through exclusive peer forums, business intelligence, industry thought leadership, and boardroom readiness. Through its subscription research and media platform, DXC delivers agenda-setting insights that help companies unlock the full strategic value of design, and equip the next generation of leaders with the practices of today’s leading chief design officers.

Kate Johnson
dscout
+1 609-800-3678
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