This Spring 2025 lecture series explores the transformative impact of artificial intelligence on our world and its future potential. Presented by experts and innovators, CARTA Generative AI Conversations Powered by Reekolect ™ delves into advancements in AI, its intersection with creativity, architecture, technology, and society, and the ethical challenges it poses. Each lecture promises to inspire thought-provoking discussions and insights into how AI is shaping the future.
January 14, 2025 – Neil Leach
January 21, 2025 – Manuel Jimenez García
March 18, 2025 – Panel Discussion
TBD Spring 2025 – Blaise Agüera y Arcas
The series takes place at 2 PM in PCA 135 at the FIU Modesto Maidique Campus and is free and open to the public.
Neil Leach
FIU Architecture Professor/ DDES
Neil Leach is an architect and interdisciplinary scholar, serving as a professor at FIU, a Visiting Professor at Harvard GSD and Tongji University, and a Professor at the European Graduate School. A NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts Fellow and Academia Europaea member, he has taught at top institutions like SCI-Arc, Cornell, Columbia GSAPP, and USC. He holds an MA and Dip Arch from Cambridge and a PhD from Nottingham. The author of 27 books translated into multiple languages, he has strong ties to China, where he is a distinguished Visiting Professor. He has also curated major exhibitions, including for the Architecture Biennial Beijing. Learn more about Neil and his practice here.
Learn more about Neil Leach’s lecture and watch the recording here.
Manuel Jiménez García
CEO / Co-founder of Nagami
Manuel Jiménez García is the co-founder of the robotics manufacturing company Nagami.Design (3D printing) based in Spain and principal of madMdesign, a computational design practice based in London. His work has been exhibited worldwide in venues such as Centre Pompidou (Paris), Canada´s Design Museum (Toronto), Royal Academy of Arts (London), Zaha Hadid Design Gallery (London), Clerkenwell Design Week (London) and X Spanish Architectural Biennale (Madrid). Learn more about Manuel and Nagami.Design here.
Learn more about Manuel Jiménez García’s lecture and watch the recording here.
Panel Discussion
Daniel Bolojan, FAU
Joseph Choma, FAU
Smaro Katsangelou, FAU
Lorena Knesevic, FIU
Neil Leach, FIU
Lars Lerup, Formerly Rice
John Stuart, FIU
A thought-provoking panel discussion exploring the transformative impact of artificial intelligence on architectural education. Esteemed scholars and practitioners will delve into how AI is reshaping design processes, pedagogy, and the future of the profession. Panelists include Daniel Bolojan, Assistant Professor and the Director of the Creative AI Lab (FAU), Joseph Choma, Director of the School of Architecture and Professor of Architecture (FAU), Smaro Katsangelou, PhD candidate in Architecture, AI & Robotics at FAU, Lorena Knesevic, DDes candidate in Architecture, AI, AR, and VR at FIU, Neil Leach, Professor, moderator (FIU), Lars Lerup, Former Dean of Architecture, Rice University, and John Stuart, Distinguished University Professor (FIU).
Learn more about the panel discussion and watch the recording here.
Blaise Agüera y Arcas
VP / Fellow of Google Research
Blaise Agüera y Arcas is an American artificial intelligence researcher, software engineer, architect, and author. He is a vice president and fellow at Google Research, where he leads a team focused on fundamental AI research and the development of AI-driven products and technologies. Blaise also founded Google’s Artists and Machine Intelligence program, which fosters collaboration between artists and AI engineers to create innovative works of art. Prior to joining Google in 2013, he was an engineer at Microsoft, where he played a key role as the architect of Bing Maps and Bing Mobile. For more information about Blaise, click here.
