How much of our behaviour is truly our own — and how much is designed?
In this new episode of Designing Futures: Exploring AI, Data, Architecture & Beyond,
we are joined by Patrick Fagan, one of the leading figures in applied behavioural science, to unpack how psychology, data, and generative AI increasingly shape human decision-making.
We explore how behavioural science moved from academic labs into real-world systems — marketing, politics, platforms — and why what works in theory often breaks in context. From pricing experiments that backfire to personality-driven segmentation, this conversation reveals why human behaviour resists simple models.
Together, we dive into:

• why personality (OCEAN / Big Five) can outperform demographics
• how AI now personalises not just content, but tone, aesthetics, and psychological framing
• what this means for design, architecture, urban environments, and spatial experience
• and how to build critical distance in a world optimised for influence

Drawing from his latest book Free Your Mind, Patrick also shares why understanding influence is no longer just a marketing skill — but a civic and creative necessity.

Matthias Hollwich — founder of HWKN — joins Nathalie Rozencwajg and Melanie Rozencwajg on Designing Futuresto explore what it means to run a fully AI-integrated architecture studio. At HWKN, AI isn’t an add-on — it informs every stage of design, from concept to construction.
We unpack how this shift enables architects to reclaim their role as visionary world-builders — orchestrating not just form, but experience, performance, and community. AI opens the design room to clients and collaborators, accelerates iteration, and fosters a new kind of design dialogue.
We also delve into “contextual data” as an antidote to homogenised cities — like designing a London tower shaped by London’s own culture, behaviour, and spatial logic. Plus, how emerging robotic and construction technologies are expanding what’s possible — and affordable — to build.
Matthias shares why transparency with clients about AI matters, and how these tools are already reshaping the business of architecture — redefining how we design, plan, and construct.

Jez Groom — founder & CEO of Cowry Consulting and a pioneer in applied behavioral science — joins us on Designing Futures.

With 14+ years of helping global organizations from Amazon to HSBC understand human behavior, Jez explains why most decisions are non-rational, why intentions rarely translate into action, and how simple tweaks can shift behaviour in powerful ways.

This episode makes the case for behavioral intelligence — blending psychology, data, and AI — as a smarter path forward than “AI-first” thinking. Digital traces reveal what people do, but only behavioral science uncovers the deeper why: the subconscious, social, and emotional drivers behind choice. From psychometrics to biometrics, we explore how these methods are reshaping the way we design experiences that people actually follow through on.