AHMEDABAD, January 30, 2026 – The 7th edition of Ahmedabad Design Week (ADW), Gujarat’s premier design and Artificial Intelligence conclave, officially opened today at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Convention Centre, Karnavati University. The three-day event brings together a high-profile assembly of policymakers, global academics, and industry titans to navigate the intersection of creativity and emerging technology.
In his opening address, Ritesh Hada, President of KU, highlighted the urgent need for agile education in the age of AI. “AI is transforming creative practice at an unprecedented pace,” Hada stated. “We have established state-of-the-art AI laboratories at KU to ensure our students are not just spectators, but leaders who combine technical infrastructure with grassroots innovation.” Dr. Pradyumna Vyas, President of the World Design Organisation, echoed this sentiment, urging the design community to use AI as a bridge for inclusivity. He emphasized that future design must be rooted in “India-specific data systems” to ensure ethical solutions that reflect the country’s unique social and cultural diversity.
The inaugural session featured a powerful lineup of international and national speakers, including, Shri Sujeet Kumar, Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha Stephen Hickling, British Deputy High Commissioner to Gujarat and Rajasthan Zuowen Wang, ASUSTeK Computer Inc. Jens Kaeumle, Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) and Dr. Ashish Mohan, Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Other key highlights from day one of ADW had sessions from healthcare to fintech.
While on one side we had Dr. Chirag Paunwala (IEEE Signal Processing Society) presenting a breakthrough machine learning approach using EEG signals to detect dyslexia in its primitive stages—a critical intervention for the 15% of India’s population affected by the condition.
On the other side we hosted Shayak Sen, Head of Design at Myntra, at the Hutheesing Visual Arts Centre (HVAC) who argued that “abstraction” remains the one element that distinguishes human designers from AI.
He urged young designers to study psychology alongside design to create truly impactful work. Whilst Alok Agarwal, Senior Manager at EY, demystified the role of AI in fraud detection and risk assessment, explaining how AI has slashed loan processing times from months to mere minutes. Ahmedabad Design Week 7.0 will continue through February 1, 2026, featuring further keynote addresses, workshops, and exhibitions focused on the synergy between AI, media, and the creative industries.
