Emerging Technology Center and Labs Director talks AI
MIAD’s Lubar Emerging Technology Center
In the context of an art and design college, artificial intelligence has a myriad of uses. Ben Dembroski, Managing Director for the Emerging Technology Center & Institutional Labs at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD), was recently interviewed by BizTimes Milwaukee about how AI is shaping the future of creative fields.
Many fields, from healthcare to marketing, have found generative AI to be a powerful tool for improving efficiency. At MIAD, Dembroski helps students creatively adapt to and use this new technology to their advantage. Students are using AI to produce sculptures, organize their schedules and tasks to get the most out of college and even to mimic expensive motion capture technology for animations.
Quoted in the BizTimes article, Dembroski said, “… We’re really encouraging our students to understand that just by asking the questions of AI in their personal work, what they’re doing is they’re honing their skills so that when they enter the job marketplace next year or in two years, they’ll be entering a job marketplace where everybody is going to be trying to figure this out.”
This is not the first time that MIAD students and staff shared their experience with generative AI. Earlier this year, Frank Healy of CBS58 sat down with MIAD creatives who use AI in their artistic practice. In that interview, MIAD community members addressed fears around AI, along with the monumental benefits it is already offering creatives. Quoted in that article, MIAD Lab Technician – Rapid Prototyping Kayle Karbowski said “I think a lot of the fear comes from not understanding how AI works or what it does.”
Addressing that fear, as well as working with students to adapt AI use for their own practices, is part of Dembroski’s job in MIAD’s Lubar Emerging Technology Center. “In the face of uncertainty around just how AI will shape the job market for creatives and artists going forward, MIAD is taking a holistic approach to preparing students for the real world,” writes Maredithe Meyer for BizTimes Milwaukee.
Read the BizTimes article, check out the CBS58 feature, and learn more about MIAD’s Lubar Emerging Technology Center.
News
Sabbatical journey: Revelations and a new course for students
A sabbatical year immersed in Japanese culture, language and the study of Ukiyo-e – images of Japan’s “floating world” – led Professor Chelsea Holton to two main “aha” moments and development of a new course for students at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD).
Fashion students design adaptive clothing for Independence First
For the second year in a row, Fashion and Apparel Design students at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) worked with Independence First to design adaptive clothing tailor-made for two people who use wheelchairs. The project is part of a junior-level Patternmaking & Construction course.
MIAD Values Recognition Award: Nichole Uecker
Nichole Uecker, Student Accessibility Coordinator, received the October 2025 MIAD Values Recognition Award at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD). Nichole’s nominations highlighted her embodiment of MIAD’s Core Values, especially Community, Inclusion and Kindness.
Personal and professional passion inspire Product Design student
When senior Carmen Briones’ mother was diagnosed with breast cancer during Briones’ sophomore year at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD), finding a bra that was comfortable with a medical port became an additional challenge. Briones ’26 (Product Design) answered that challenge in her Design for Human Interface class by designing a product that reduces pain while increasing mobility.
Toy design at Squishmallows: MIAD student develops confidence
When she first got the internship offer from Squishmallows at Jazwares, Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) senior Melody Frias ’26 (Communication Design and Illustration) thought she was in shock. Months after the internship concluded, Frias still reads that email when she needs a boost.