Listen: Designing with AI conference speaker Joy KendiMwiti discusses AI and human judgment
June 5, 2026What does Joy KendiMwiti discuss on the Rosenfeld Review podcast?
“The hardest question is not just can we build this tool. It’s also deciding whether we should automate some of these complex social decisions at all.”
As AI becomes easier and cheaper to deploy, designers face a new challenge: deciding not just what can be automated, but what should be. On this episode of the Rosenfeld Review podcast, Lou Rosenfeld talks with Joy KendiMwiti of Dalberg Design — and an upcoming speaker at the Designing with AI 2026 conference — about introducing AI into high-stakes systems where design decisions can directly affect access to healthcare, services, and critical resources.
Joy shares examples from her work in public health systems, including an AI concept intended to help community health workers prioritize patient visits. What initially seemed like an obvious efficiency gain quickly raised deeper concerns around incomplete data, shifting real-world conditions, and the irreplaceable role of human judgment and community trust. Rather than treating AI as a decision-maker, Joy argues for designing systems where AI supports — but does not override — human expertise.
Their conversation also explores how AI is reshaping the role of designers themselves. Joy makes the case that designers must move “upstream” in the process, helping define boundaries, risks, trust, and governance before automation decisions are made.
About Designing with AI speaker and podcast guest Joy KendiMwiti
Joy KendiMwiti is a Senior Creative Lead at Dalberg Design with over a decade of experience designing inclusive products and services across Africa and Asia. Her work sits at the intersection of technology, gender equity, and social innovation, with a focus on applying human-centered and community-led design to complex systems.
At Dalberg, Joy has led multi-country engagements spanning global health, financial inclusion, rural livelihoods, and the responsible application of digital technologies, including Generative AI. She has collaborated with organizations such as the Gates Foundation, Amref Health Africa, D-tree International, CGAP, the World Bank, Mercy Corps, UNGEI, and OSIWA to co-create solutions with women entrepreneurs, smallholder farmers, frontline health workers, and underserved communities. Read more »
What will Joy present at the Designing with AI conference?
On Tuesday June 9—day one of the #DwAI2026 conference—Joy will present her case study, Deciding when to automate: Integrating AI in high-stakes systems.
In this talk, Joy will dive into the decision-making process behind automating a high-stakes system: when to do it, when not to do it, and practical tools to incorporate into your work.
