Making Alike Workshop

Cornell University
Monday, March 16th
5:30 - 7:30pm
Human Ecology Building 201

This workshop introduces designers to agentic AI systems—AI that can observe environments, connect tools, and take action across workflows. Participants will learn how to coordinate AI agents to gather data, generate insights, and prototype design ideas, shifting from prompting AI to orchestrating AI processes. Register for the workshop below.

Learn to:

Search Like an Agent

Participants explore how agentic AI systems perceive environments by connecting simple AI tools to real-world data sources (climate data, maps, sensors, or public datasets). The exercise demonstrates how AI can observe conditions and translate signals into actionable information.

Connect Tools into Workflows

Participants learn how AI agents link multiple tools together—such as data sources, analysis models, and generative design tools—to form coordinated workflows. This session introduces the basic structure of agentic systems and shows how designers can assemble these pipelines.

Orchestrate AI
Processes

Moving beyond prompts, participants experiment with coordinating multiple AI agents to carry out tasks such as gathering data, analyzing conditions, and generating design responses. The focus is on designing the behavior of AI systems rather than producing a single output.

Prototype Design Intelligence

Participants apply agentic workflows to a small design scenario—using AI agents to investigate a site, generate insights, and produce speculative design concepts. The goal is to understand how designers can prototype ideas through coordinated AI processes.

01. Sign-up

Register
Waitlist

02. Set-up

Please complete the following steps before the workshop begins so you’re ready to participate.

Step 01 - Install Claude

  1. Download Claude
    Go to https://claude.ai/download and install the Claude desktop app for Mac or Windows.

  2. Create an Account
    Open the app and sign up using your email or Google account.

  3. Activate Claude Pro (1 Month - $20)
    Upgrade to the Claude Pro plan for one month. This provides access to the models and features we will use in the workshop.

  4. Confirm Installation
    Open the app and start a new chat to make sure everything is working.

Step 02 - Install Python

  1. Check if Python is already installed
    Open Terminal (Mac) or Command Prompt (Windows) and run:

    python3 --version

    If a version number appears (e.g., Python 3.11 or 3.12), you’re ready.

  2. If Python is not installed

    Go to:
    https://www.python.org/downloads/

    Download and install the latest version of Python 3 for your operating system.

  • Mac: Download the macOS installer and follow the prompts.

  • Windows: Download the Windows installer and check the box “Add Python to PATH” during installation.

Please complete these steps before arriving at the workshop.