David Shim and Rachana Rele: Read AI CEO and VP of Product Design for AI-native products at Adobe on amplifying creative work — not replacing it

In this episode of Design Better, hosts Aaron Walter and Eli Woolery welcome David Shim, CEO of ReadAI, and Rachana Rayleigh, VP of Product Design for AI-Native Products at Adobe, to discuss how AI can serve as a creative partner rather than a replacement in the workplace. The conversation centers on the vision of 'storage of intelligence'—a future where AI captures and organizes individual and team knowledge, turning it into a persistent, accessible digital twin that enhances collaboration, reduces drudgery, and enables seamless continuity during absences like vacations or parental leave. Both guests emphasize AI's role in augmenting human work: ReadAI automates meeting notes and CRM updates, while Adobe’s Firefly uses custom models trained on brand guidelines to maintain design consistency across teams. They address real concerns around job anxiety and surveillance, advocating for transparency, user control, and ethical design. The episode concludes with a hopeful outlook on AI’s potential to unlock new forms of collective intelligence and creativity, where human judgment remains central, and tools evolve from reactive search to proactive, push-based insights—like TikTok meets Tinder for work.