Cal Thompson, VP of Design on how they use AI at Headspace and why they hire interns

Cal Thompson, VP of Design on how they use AI at Headspace and why they hire interns

From Creative Capes by Future London Academy

December 8, 2025 · 1h 26m

About this episode

Cal Thompson discusses the impact of AI on design leadership and the importance of human elements in the creative process.

With so many AI tools flying around, it’s easy for creative teams to feel overwhelmed. Which tools actually matter? And more importantly, what stays uniquely human in design leadership as technology evolves? In this episode of Design Leadership in the Boardroom,Ekaterina sits down with Cal Thompson, VP Design at Headspace and curator of Future London Academy’s Product Design Strategy course. Cal shares how AI is changing the strategic power of design (not replacing it), where these tools genuinely help guiding roadmaps, measuring product signals, prototyping visions, and where they don’t belong at all, especially when it comes to anchoring human stories. Joining as a special guest, Rachel Arredondo , Senior Product Designer at Headspace , offers a practical, grounded view of AI as a thought collaborator. She shows how she uses Claude to expand her reach without outsourcing judgment, and why designers must shape tools just as much as tools shape us. Expect a conversation rooted in empathy, culture, and creative responsibility, plus a clear, usable framework for deciding where AI fits in your design process. What you’ll learn Why design’s strategic influence can grow in an…

People in this episode

Host: Ekaterina

Guests: Cal Thompson, Rachel Arredondo

Topics covered

Keywords

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Headspace, Future London Academy

Products: Claude

More episodes of Creative Capes

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Creative Capes podcast page.