(ECNS) -- AI-powered design took center stage at the 2026 World Design Cities Conference, which opened in Shanghai on Monday under the theme “Design without Boundaries, Quality through Intelligence.”
The event is co-hosted by the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government and UNESCO.
Dava Newman, MIT’s Apollo Program Professor of Astronautics and former director of the MIT Media Lab, received the Distinguished Contribution honor at the 2026 Frontier Design Prize.
Newman said generative AI can amplify human creativity as technology and design increasingly converge. MIT currently lists her as Apollo Program Professor of Astronautics.
AI is also being applied to industrial design. SAIC Motor has used AI tools to develop IM Motors vehicles that balance styling with aerodynamic efficiency, combining simulation and optimization to shorten the time needed for aerodynamic refinement.
More than 2,000 entries from over 10 countries were submitted to this year’s “Shanghai Design 100+” global competition, with the annual awards unveiled during the conference.
The event runs through Wednesday, featuring exhibitions and forums on AI, sustainable design and other fields.
(By Helen Mo, intern Yang Hongran)
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