Bryan Loh, BAS, MDI

Bryan Loh’s thesis for his Master in Design Innovation took him to Disney and has led to a career developing creative AI tools.

Bryan says he was fascinated by design tools, and how they could evolve in the future, especially with generative AI on the horizon.

“After spending a lot of time on the tools in Architecture and Design school, I felt there was so much more potential for innovation. At the time, generative AI was still in its early, experimental stages, so there weren’t many opportunities to explore it in the industry. The Master of Design Innovation felt like the perfect opportunity to learn from AI researcher Tom White and explore these ideas further,” he says.

Bryan’s Master’s thesis, on how machine learning can be used to explore design solutions more efficiently, landed him an internship with Disney Research Los Angeles. “The scale of the company was eye-opening—everything from the resources to the number of staff. They even had their own Starbucks on campus! It also came at the perfect time when I was hungry for more—I gained a lot of perspective and have many fond memories of the people there."

At the forefront of creativity and AI

Bryan now works for Runway, a US-based company focused on developing next-generation creative tools powered by AI. Although his role is engineering-focussed, he credits his architecture and media design background as essential when collaborating with designers and researchers.

Highlights of his current role include developing technology that “unlocks creative possibilities that were once impossible.

“There have been moments when I’ve been among the first people in the world to use a new type of tool, and there’s something special about that. It’s exciting to know that you’re contributing to something that could shape what’s next,” he says.

His next goal is to discover new ways technology can support and enhance human creativity, while being genuinely useful and respectful to creatives. “It’s crucial that these tools are designed by creatives, for creatives, right from the start.

University highlights and advice for future students

Bryan says the community and the people he met stand out as a key takeaway of his time at university. “From living in the halls in my first year to the late nights in the Design Studio, I met some of my best friends there. We’ve ended up flatting, travelling together, and still stay in touch today. Oh, and the Design School library is a real gem as well.”

He advises prospective design students to develop a broad set of skills instead of specialising. “Aim to be skilled in a range of areas rather than aiming to be excellent at just one. In emerging fields like AI, the ability to approach problems from different perspectives—whether technical, design, or business—is incredibly valuable.

“I’d also recommend working at an early-stage company where you get to wear many hats. Real-world challenges rarely fit neatly into a single discipline, and having to be adaptable has been a big part of my own growth, professionally and personally.”

The future looks bright

Bryan intends to keep following his curiosity. “Even with all the rapid advancements in AI recently, I feel like we’re still in the early stages. There’s so much left to explore and figure out as an industry, and I’m keen to keep learning, and contribute to shaping where things go next.”

Design is not his only creative outlet. “Music has been a creative outlet for me for as long as I can remember. I’ve written a bunch of silly jingles over the years, just for fun—nothing serious, but I find joy in experimenting with melodies and lyrics. I’ve always thought it would be fun to record them someday and maybe even share them with others.”

Watch this space to see what Bryan will do next.