# 223 - Michael McDonald talks AI and Packaging

- Show: [People of Packaging](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging)
- Published: 2023-11-03
- Length: 37m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2023-11-03-223-michael-mcdonald-talks-ai-and-packaging
- Listen: https://encase.substack.com/p/223-michael-mcdonald-talks-ai-and

## Summary

Michael McDonald, a partner at the Philadelphia-based design agency Xhilarate, discusses the transformative impact of AI on packaging design. He compares the current AI revolution to the disruption of the internet in the 1990s, arguing that prompt engineering with tools like Midjourney allows designers to bypass traditional career ladders and amplify human creativity rather than replace it. McDonald shares specific examples of using AI for rapid ideation, such as generating complex beer label concepts and movie scripts, while acknowledging the serious societal risks of deepfakes and misinformation.

## Chapters

- [0:38](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2023-11-03-223-michael-mcdonald-talks-ai-and-packaging#t=38) Introduction and Guest Background
- [8:11](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2023-11-03-223-michael-mcdonald-talks-ai-and-packaging#t=491) The Internet Disruption and Career Path
- [13:08](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2023-11-03-223-michael-mcdonald-talks-ai-and-packaging#t=788) AI as the Next Great Disruption
- [23:04](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2023-11-03-223-michael-mcdonald-talks-ai-and-packaging#t=1384) AI Ideation and Packaging Design Examples
- [20:10](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2023-11-03-223-michael-mcdonald-talks-ai-and-packaging#t=1210) Societal Risks and Deepfakes
- [30:01](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2023-11-03-223-michael-mcdonald-talks-ai-and-packaging#t=1801) AI for Creative Work and Kirby Ferguson

## Topics

- [AI & machine learning](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/ai-and-machine-learning)
- [Industrial & consumer product design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/industrial-design)
- [Careers & education](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/engineering-careers-and-education)

## Most relevant to

early-stage companies

## Mentioned

- Xhilarate (company)
- Midjourney (tool)
- Adobe Illustrator (tool)
- Temple University (other)
- Tyler School of Art (other)
- Quark (tool)
- PageMaker (tool)
- FreeHand (tool)
- Adobe Flash (tool)
- Leonardo AI (tool)
- ChatGPT (tool)
- HP (company)
- Nike (company)
- Adidas (company)
- Kirby Ferguson (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [91: This is Going Great So Far I Think](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/thoroughly-considered/2022-12-15-91-this-is-going-great-so-far-i-think) (Thoroughly Considered)
- [125. Prompt Engineering: Latest Meme or The Next Big Thing?](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast/2023-06-06-125-prompt-engineering-latest-meme-or-the-next-big-thing) (The Next Byte Podcast)
- [Risks of using generative AI in product design - IDology #17](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/idology/2024-03-05-risks-of-using-generative-ai-in-product-design-idology-17) (IDology)
- [How AI Is Transforming Product Design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/its-only-a-prototype/2025-05-29-how-ai-is-transforming-product-design) (It's Only a Prototype)
- [392: We Can Design Our Way Out of This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/making-it/2023-03-17-392-we-can-design-our-way-out-of-this) (Making It)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/people-of-packaging/2023-11-03-223-michael-mcdonald-talks-ai-and-packaging. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to People of Packaging.