Tey Bannerman on AI Strategy as Essential Skill for Design Leaders
Tey Bannerman, former McKinsey partner and software engineer, argues that design leadership must evolve beyond production to strategic AI integration. He will lead the 'AI Strategy for Design Leaders' course at iF DESIGN ACADEMY, starting June 18, 2026. The live online program, delivered in three 90-minute modules over one week, equips leaders with frameworks to evaluate AI readiness, avoid common pitfalls like the 'tool trap,' and prioritize human judgment. Bannerman emphasizes that AI should augment rather than replace human capabilities, citing historical parallels with the printing press and camera. The course culminates in a personalized 30-day action plan. iF Design, a German nonprofit, offers the course to address a market gap in strategic AI education for design leaders.
Key facts
- Tey Bannerman is a former partner at McKinsey & Company and a trained software engineer.
- The course 'AI Strategy for Design Leaders' is offered by iF DESIGN ACADEMY.
- iF Design is a German nonprofit design institute.
- The course starts Thursday, June 18, 2026, and runs over one week.
- It consists of three 90-minute live online modules.
- Participants develop a personalized 30-day action plan.
- Bannerman identifies three common strategic problems: tool trap, positioning problem, and failure to distinguish augmentation from replacement.
- He argues that AI implementation failures are often human, not technical.
Entities
Artists
- Tey Bannerman
Institutions
- McKinsey & Company
- iF DESIGN ACADEMY
- iF Design
- designboom