Dr. Slava Polonski

How does AI think—and how can we design for it? And what does “good UX” mean in an AI-first world?

I help people bridge the gap between human intuition and machine intelligence. Whether you're a UX designer curious about AI, or an AI builder who wants to get UX right, my work is all about making that intersection more human, more intentional, and more impactful.

Over the past 7 years at Google, I led user research for Flights and Hotels, diving deep into how people make decisions in complex, high-stakes moments. Along the way, I also contributed chapters and case studies to the People + AI Guidebook that Google launched in 2019.

I’ve taught these principles to UX designers at Spotify in New York, to fellow Googlers in Zurich, and at design conferences like IxDA in Milan. My goal is always the same: to help teams move beyond buzzwords and build AI products that actually work for people.

Stay tuned for my new UXcel course on the UX Fundamentals of AI—where design meets deep tech.