This is a conversational interview between Christopher Parsons and Kate about balancing on‑demand video learning with in‑person social learning in AEC studio culture. Kate emphasizes that broader cultural and generational changes make fully guarding interpersonal connection difficult but that firms can intentionally reinforce interpersonal norms; she argues people can "relearn" the taste for in‑person interaction. They discuss AI search behavior (users often ask to find people with skills) and propose design choices that surface experts (AI recommending colleagues) and separate purposes: record content for the learning management system while keeping live events device‑free to protect interpersonal quality.
Chapters
I'm curious, going back to the culture and the amputation and augmentation around. On one hand, there's all this great stuff you can do with video. On the other hand, we've talked a lot about how you want in person connection and people interacting with each other and kind of what's your thinking about that kind of on demand video stuff, plus having people interact and learn socially?
Yeah, I mean, that's something that I wrestle with because on the one hand, I want to make sure that we don't lose that, and on the other hand, I'm not entirely sure it's possible to guard against that entirely. The culture is changing around us. It's not just the culture inside, Snohetta. We're not in a vacuum. The culture and values of everyone around us are changing at large. So I can't control all of those.
Variables about how meaning, like, more asynchronous or search first or preferring videos. Like, is that kind of what you're getting at? Yeah.
And even, you know, even the appetite for social interaction in generations coming up now is changing, if that makes sense. You know, it's like there are generational gaps in that regard that I can't guard against, but I can. I can do. We can do our best to try to establish that in this company at least, we. We want a culture that really prioritizes those interpersonal connections. And I think that when. Honestly, when I see people experience that, even if it wasn't their. Their preference to begin with, they warm up to it. Because ultimately, like we are as humans, we are ultimately inclined to be connected with each other, but sometimes by being so disconnected, we lose the taste for it. You can build the taste back up again in my experience.
Interesting.
Anyway, to answer your question.
I like it. This is what I was saying in the intro, like, very thoughtful. It's always philosophical when we get into it, Kate.
I mean, one of the research council conversations we were having about the development of AI search, I brought it up, Chris. I wanted. When the AI search delivered its results, I wanted it to prioritize not just information results, but ultimately end with a. This is everything. This is everything I found about this. But I think you should go talk to so and so and then call someone out in the firm, an expert that's been identified as an expert in a structured data field. The AI can pull that name and end with it, or if the person who recorded the video, you know, they can call that. The AI can call that name out. And you made that change. And I think that that's important, that it re emphasizes that that's one of our values, that we can deliver this information to you. But you will have a richer experience if you go follow up and talk to a colleague of yours who knows more about it.
Yeah. What's so interesting about that, Kate, is like we. So we put out the first version of AI Search, which was just general knowledge based search. And then we have a feature in the product where people can rate searches and provide feedback. So we had like hundreds of those things coming in per week and like well over 50% of it after the first release was about people stuff like, I want to find the person who's got the skills, who can help me, blah, blah, blah. Like, so it's interesting that like, even with all this AI stuff, which people are really worried is going to like hurt interpersonal communication and relationships, what people wanted to do with AI was connect with other people, which I am like, that was like heartening, I think a little bit about like where we're going as a species. Like that was like, it's not all over, you know.
Yeah, absolutely. I think it also means, you know, for instance, talking about the learning management system and the opportunity to sort of deliver the content differently because you're building it for a learning management system and you really want to be thoughtful about the quality of learning and ultimately the, you know, the experience that someone has at the end of it and what they have learned. It means that if we put our attention into doing the content that way for the learning management system, we can think about the live events differently.
Right.
Because if you're trying to get the live event to serve both purposes of.
Like information transfer and just like. Yeah, right, yeah.
Or just having the recording device on can change the dynamic of that whole entire thing. So if you remove the recording from that experience and you focus on a live interpersonal experience without all the devices, then you have a higher quality interpersonal experience and you can save the recording for the learning management system.
