Live from the Lore Bookshop at Shoptalk Spring, Phillip and Brian sit down with friends of the podcast and creative heavyweights Nick Susi and Mai Nguyen of dotdotdash to unpack their latest work with Nike—the groundbreaking AIR Imagination project. Nick and Mai pull back the curtain on what it takes to build immersive, AI-powered brand experiences that actually feel like the brand—and why surprise and delight matter more than ever in a world obsessed with optimization. Plus, hear how they’re redefining user experience through experiments like Chromaverse and their take on AI as a “serendipity engine.”
This Is What AI Should Feel Like (Chicken Shoes)
Key takeaways:
- Nike’s AIR Imagination is a Brand Milestone: AIR Imagination isn’t just a product—it’s a community design platform that invites fans to co-create with Nike DNA. Powered by AI, it lowers the barrier to creativity while still preserving the integrity of the brand.
- AI-Driven Remixing Is Reshaping Brand Strategy: This project flips the traditional brand-to-consumer model on its head. Now, it’s consumer-to-consumer remixing, with Nike acting as the shared language. It’s not just collaboration—it’s cultural co-creation at scale.
- Dot Dot Dash Built AI That Feels Like Nike: Behind the scenes, Dot Dot Dash developed prompt-enhancing tech to ensure every user-generated design still looks and feels like a Nike product—proof that AI doesn’t have to compromise brand authenticity.
- AI as a “Serendipity Engine” Is the Future of Commerce: Instead of treating AI like a tool for hyper-optimization, Dot Dot Dash sees its true power in enabling surprise, delight, and discovery. That ethos runs through everything from Nike to their own experimental tools like Chromaverse.
- Brands Need to Design with Culture, Not Just for It: As Nick’s essay “Culture as a Client” explores, successful brands don’t just extract from culture—they build multidirectional ecosystems that create mutual value. Nike’s project is a masterclass in getting that balance right.
- “AIR Imagination is Nike saying, ‘Here’s the vault. Remix what we’ve done—and what each other has done.’” – Nick Susi
- “Even with all that detail, it still came out a Nike shoe. That’s the connection—that’s the relationship.” – Mai Nguyen
- “What AI is really good at is chance, randomness, serendipity... That’s what creates emotional experience.” – Nick Susi
- “We’re not invalids. Don’t spoon-feed us everything. Help me—but don’t take it all away.” – Mai Nguyen
- “Chat-based ecommerce UIs? Frustrating. Instead, look to gaming or luxury retail for better design references.” – Nick Susi
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