What It Takes to Be an AI Designer: A Hiring Manager's Perspective
Right now, "AI designer" is the role every team says they want — and almost none can define.
So designers apply by guessing. Reskin the portfolio, bolt "AI" onto a case study, hope it reads as fluent. And the person on the other side of the table — the one who actually decides — you never get to hear how they think.
Our guest is that person. A Director of Product Design building AI-first products, who hires the designers who make them. They know, in the first 30 seconds, what makes a hiring director lean in vs. quietly close the tab.
And here's the part nobody hands you: they got into AI and up to leadership without a deep technical background — designer → founder → back inside. So they can tell you what actually moves you toward this work, not what the job posts pretend.
So this session isn't "learn AI." It's the read you normally only get after you've been rejected:
❌ How most designers approach it: guess what "AI-fluent" looks like, wait to be picked, hope the portfolio lands 💚 What you'll get instead: exactly what a hiring director sees, from someone who does the hiring — plus a live, no-prep look at real portfolios through that lens
💛 For designers done guessing what the person hiring them actually wants.
WHAT YOU'LL WALK AWAY WITH
→ What "greenfield" AI work really is inside an org — and how you get near it
→ The skillset that gets you hired (and how they built it — no CS degree required)
→ The red flags that quietly end applications before anyone tells you
→ A live read on real portfolios — first impressions from someone who hires
(Part teaching, part live review)
🎤 Who's presenting:
Alex Potrivaev
Director of Product Design @ HubSpot, ex-Intercom
Alex is Director of Product Design at HubSpot, where he leads teams reimagining how millions of businesses use AI across go-to-market products. Before HubSpot, he spent nearly a decade in design leadership at Intercom, helping scale AI products, platform capabilities, and multidisciplinary design organizations. Over his career, Alex has led product vision, built high-performing teams, and connected customer insights with business strategy to deliver AI experiences at global scale. Before joining Intercom, he co-founded a startup in Silicon Valley, giving him first-hand experience building products and companies from the ground up.
Lena Kul
Founder @ PATHS, ex-Design Recruiter & UXR
LinkedIn · Substack · Youtube · Website
After 8+ years hiring designers, UXRs, and leaders at Miro, and 5 years teaching designers how to move through their careers, Lena brings the top insights to er 60,000+ audience. Having hired 100+ top talent across the globe, supported hundreds of students and private clients, and signed their offers, she's built methodologies that convert in 2026.
LOGISTICS
🗓️ Thursday, August 6, 2026 · 6:00pm CEST 9:00am PDT / 12:00pm EDT
⏱️ ~90 minutes · recording included for everyone who registers 💻 Zoom link sent after registration 🎟️ Free
🔗 More sessions: luma.comkul-events