BIMA House Day 1: Designing With Friction – Humans + Agents for True Differentiation by Digitas

Everyone is using AI agents to work faster. That’s no longer the edge. More drafts. More research. More output. But when friction disappears, something unexpected happens, differentiation disappears with it.

This session challenges the default playbook for agentic workflows. Instead of using agents purely for acceleration, we explore how to use them to improve the work itself, introducing the right kind of friction to unlock more complex, more original outcomes without adding time.

At the centre is a new operating model for human + agent collaboration: the U Methodology. Humans set sharper intent. Agents expand the field of possibilities. Humans then apply judgment to converge on what matters and what’s worth pushing further. The result isn’t just more output. It’s better thinking. Stronger ideas. And work that doesn’t collapse into the sameness of “AI-generated” anything. A practical system for consistently producing distinctive work in an era where average is automated. If AI is starting to make everything look the same, this is a way to break the pattern.

What you’ll learn
• A clear challenge to how most teams are currently using AI agents — and why “faster” is no longer enough
• A new model for working with agents that prioritises originality and differentiation over pure efficiency
• An introduction to the U Methodology: a practical framework for orchestrating humans and AI across three stages — setting intent, expanding possibilities, and applying human judgment
• Real examples showing how introducing the right kind of friction into AI workflows leads to stronger, more complex, and more original outcomes
• A rethink of what “good” looks like in AI-generated work — and how to avoid output that feels generic or interchangeable
• Practical ways to structure human + agent collaboration so teams can explore more ideas without increasing time or resource
• A strategic lens on where AI is creating genuine advantage today — and where it is quietly eroding differentiation
• A clear, takeaway approach you can apply immediately to make creative, strategy, and product work more distinctive at scale

Who is it for
• Creative, strategy, product, innovation, and brand leaders who care about work that stands out — not just ships faster
• Teams already using AI agents who feel the output is quicker, but not meaningfully better or more distinctive
• Senior practitioners responsible for shaping ideas, experiences, and products where differentiation is the real battleground
• Organisations trying to operationalise AI without losing the human judgment, taste, and strategy that make work resonate
• Leaders navigating increasingly crowded categories where “good enough, fast” is becoming the default
• Anyone interested in moving beyond efficiency gains and building a more deliberate, creative operating model for human + AI collaboration

Speakers

Sam Cox
Creative Technologist at Digitas, working at the intersection of physical, digital, and AI-driven experiences. Sam designs and builds products and services that turn emerging technologies into tangible, real-world applications.
Over the past four years at Digitas — and across a broader career spanning design, advertising, startups, and technology — he has focused on bridging imagination and execution, using creative thinking and rapid prototyping to take ideas from concept through to launch.
His work has been showcased globally, including at TED Global, Cannes Lions, and CES, and featured in international media. He is also a BIMA100 Technology Trailblazer, recognised for pushing how technology can be applied in more creative and meaningful ways.

Carren O’Keefe

Chief Creative Officer at Digitas UK, with a career spanning two continents and three countries, leading award-winning work for global brands including Nike, Diageo, Google, Hyundai, L’Oréal, and Netflix.
She began her career at AKQA in New York before moving to Portland, Oregon, where her decade-long partnership with Nike delivered a series of category-defining firsts, from mental health platforms to immersive product launches and cultural activations.

Today, she is reshaping Digitas UK for the intelligence age — embedding AI into operations, product development, and client strategy, and advancing the concept of “B2AI,” recognising agents as an emerging audience.
She is the creator of “The U” methodology, a human-agent design framework for modern creative problem-solving, and a recognised voice on AI, creativity, and the future of brand building.
Carren is a regular speaker at global industry events including Cannes Lions and The One Show, a contributor to Campaign and Contagious, and has been recognised in Adweek’s Creative 100 and Creativepool’s Top 100 Creative Leaders.