# Alex Cuthbert > Design Leader: AI Architecture & Conversational UX | VP & Global Design Lead @Gojek | Head of UX @Google Translate & PicsArt | Early Google Brain AI UX | 15+ Patents | Ph.D. HCI | Scaled 200+ Person Global Organizations Location: San Francisco Bay Area, United States Profile: https://flows.cv/alexcuthbert I design and build product and interaction systems for frontier AI platforms, with a focus on integrated AI-UX innovation, multimodal intelligence, and long-horizon agentic workflows. My work sits at the boundary between model capability and human judgment: designing the control surfaces, evaluation loops, and reliability frameworks that allow probabilistic systems to scale safely into real-world use. I focus on making autonomy, uncertainty, and failure modes legible, recoverable, and trustworthy across developer and end-user environments. My background combines deep technical systems experience with executive design leadership. I began my career building Unix-based developer tooling and visualization frameworks in C across Silicon Graphics, Sun Microsystems, and IBM, which continues to shape how I collaborate with infrastructure, research, and platform engineering teams today. At Google, I led UX and research for Google Translate, designing interaction systems for the first commercial domain-specific large language model in production. In collaboration with Google Brain researchers, I helped pioneer multimodal AI orchestration across speech, camera OCR, and language models, along with confidence routing, fallback handling, and human-in-the-loop feedback systems. I hold 15+ patents in AI interaction and adaptive interface design. Across roles at Google, PicsArt, Gojek, GoTo, and early-stage AI startups, I have built and led global design organizations of 175+ people while remaining deeply hands-on in system architecture, developer platform design, and model UX. Products I have helped lead now reach billions of users globally, including platforms used daily by a majority of the connected world. Today, I focus on designing AI systems as dependable collaborators: systems that can reason across modalities, operate across long workflows, and continuously improve through structured evaluation and feedback loops. I am particularly interested in building developer-facing AI infrastructure that accelerates safe learning loops between model capability and real-world value. I am also the author of Design Rituals: In Pursuit of the Exceptional (forthcoming), which explores frameworks for scaling quality, trust, and systemic reliability across AI-driven product ecosystems. ## Work Experience ### Chief AI Officer (CAIO) / CPO / Co-Founder @ Regenesis Materials Jan 2026 – Present | Singapore Spearhead initiatives in AI, experimental design, UX, tech and quantum computing to support material scientists identifying formulations for advanced recycled materials made with ocean bound plastic waste and captured CO2 for net-zero eyewear. ### Advisor - Technical Scientist (AI) @ Regenesis Materials Jan 2024 – Present | Singapore-Bali ### Founder & Principal Architect — Model UX & Agentic Systems @ ExtraMinds AI Jan 2023 – Present | San Francisco Bay Area Responsible for model-UX architecture, agent reliability patterns, trust infrastructure, and long-horizon workflow integrity across LLM-driven systems. PIONEERING AGENTIC ARCHICTURE Founded and led the architecture, product strategy, and execution of an adaptive knowledge platform using LLMs to unify intent, memory, and action into a cohesive agentic system. DEFINING E2E AUTOMATION Architected the end-to-end conversation and interface design for Gemini-like automated actions and decision flows, focusing on human–AI teaming, uncertainty handling, and the unification of fragmented digital life. HANDS-ON BUILDER & EXEC LEADER Drove the hands-on design of the core user experience, defining how the adaptive knowledge model connects user intent, memory, and next steps in an intuitive and genuinely human way. ### Global Head of Design (Executive Level) @ GoTo Group Jan 2023 – Jan 2023 | Jakarta, Indonesia EXECUTIVE STRATEGY & SCALE Executive design leader responsible for the brand and unified design strategy across the merged GoTo Group (Gojek + Tokopedia), orchestrating the efforts of a 300+ global design team for a platform generating $28B+ in annual Gross Transaction Value (GTV). ECOSYSTEM SYNERGY Defined the cross-platform strategy to strengthen ecosystem synergies and customer growth through increased usage and cross-pollination between ride-hailing/fintech and e-commerce services. HIGH-IMPACT INVESTMENT Partnered with C-level leadership to strategically direct design resources into high-growth, high-revenue areas (e.g., Financial Services, Logistics, Electric Vehicles), driving immediate business outcomes. GLOBAL EXPANSION MANDATE Managed the design organization and brand efforts supporting deeper demographic expansion in Southeast Asia's largest markets (Indonesia, Singapore, and Vietnam). ### Global Head of Design (Executive Leadership) @ Gojek (Southeast Asia's Super App Decacorn) Jan 2020 – Jan 2022 | Jakarta, Indonesia MASSIVE ORGANIZATIONAL SCALE Directed the strategy and operations for a 175+ person global design team across 20+ business units, responsible for the user experience of a super-app ecosystem with 1B+ downloads and millions of daily transactions. STRATEGIC GROWTH & SYNERGY Defined the end-to-end design and brand strategies that drove significant customer growth and ecosystem synergies, achieving the highest levels of customer engagement across on-demand, e-commerce, and financial technology services. EXECUTIVE MENTORSHIP & CULTURE Mentored and developed 20+ senior design leaders (VPs, Directors) and successfully spearheaded large-scale organizational change that accelerated the speed and impact of the entire product and engineering organization. BRAND & EFFICIENCY Refined and repositioned the overall brand strategy to align identity across the complex ecosystem, reducing product and marketing costs while supporting major demographic expansion across key markets. ### Chief Design Officer (CDO) @ Noon Academy Jan 2020 – Jan 2020 | London, England, United Kingdom EXECUTIVE OWNERSHIP & EXECUTION Led design, research, and branding as Chief Design Officer for a high-growth social learning platform operating across multiple continents. RAPID GLOBAL EXPANSION Drove design strategy for expansion from the Middle East/North Africa into new markets, including India, successfully increasing student engagement globally. HANDS-ON INNOVATION Spearheaded hands-on design and delivery of collaboration-focused learning innovations in a remote, multi-continental environment. ### VP Design, Head of Brand (Executive Officer) @ Tubi (Acquired by Fox Entertainment) Jan 2019 – Jan 2020 | San Francisco ACQUISITION LEADERSHIP Served as an executive officer responsible for design strategy and cross-functional product initiatives that accelerated engagement and adoption, leading to the successful acquisition by Fox Entertainment. ORGANIZATIONAL SCALING Built and scaled the design, research, and brand/visual identity teams from the ground up, establishing crucial centralized functions (e.g., UX Research, Technical Writing) to professionalize the company in preparation for a major exit. INNOVATION PIPELINE Developed and launched an innovation pipeline to rapidly identify and pilot new product and design ideas, driving the company's product velocity and future roadmap. STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT Launched a centralized Design Center to seamlessly integrate work across Product, Brand, and Marketing, ensuring design was a cohesive, cross-functional asset to the business. ### Head Of Design, Websites & Marketing (Executive Level) @ GoDaddy Jan 2018 – Jan 2019 | San Francisco, California PRODUCT STRATEGY & LAUNCH (Websites & Marketing) Major New Product Line: Created and led the launch of a major new product line (Websites & Marketing) to directly compete with SquareSpace and Wix, establishing a significant new revenue stream for GoDaddy. MARKET IMPACT Drove product to become the #3 globally ranked web-business suite in 18 months by focusing on the core needs of entrepreneurs and SMBs. SYSTEMIC EFFICIENCY Negotiated for the creation of a meta-design system and defined new information architecture and workflows to reduce costs, increase product quality, and accelerate speed-to-market. ORGANIZATIONAL & BRAND STRATEGY (100+ Team) Culture & Innovation Mandate: Drove culture and innovation initiatives across the entire 100+ person Design, Research, and Brand teams in preparation for the company's largest brand launch and rebrand since inception. METRICS-DRIVEN WORKFLOW Reshaped team workflows to embed customer needs and sentiments as primary driving metrics for all product and design decisions. ### Head of UX Design & Research (Senior Executive) @ PicsArt Inc. Jan 2015 – Jan 2018 | San Francisco, CA 1B+ GLOBAL SCALE Led the design and research team through a period of hyper-growth, helping the platform achieve 1B+ downloads and a multi-billion dollar valuation, firmly positioning it as a top-ranked social photo and video editing app globally. AI & CREATIVE INNOVATION Spearheaded the integration of AR, ML, and AI innovations into both video and photography editing tools, providing mobile "superpowers" that accelerated growth and refined the core user experience for a global creative community. ORGANIZATIONAL & TALENT GROWTH Mentored and developed senior and junior designers to achieve multiple Apple/Google awards, refining the design consistency and ease-of-use that drove sustained customer engagement and high Lifetime Value (LTV). STRATEGIC EXPANSION Expanded the global audience through customer-focused research, creating new engagement channels for influencers and super users across a multi-continental team structure (San Francisco, Armenia, China, Japan). ### Head of UX Design & Research: Google Translate @ Google, Inc. Jan 2013 – Jan 2015 | Mountain View, Ca PIONEERING LLM & AGENTIC UX Led the UX design and international research for the first commercial domain-specific LLM (Google Translate). This foundational work involved partnering with top Google Brain engineers to invent AI-driven interaction models for speech UX, real-time conversations, and instant camera translation. PATENTED MULTIMODAL INNOVATION Authored 12+ AI patents (first author) for speech, conversation, and instant camera UX, establishing the multimodal and conversational design patterns that were subsequently adopted by Google consumer electronic products (e.g., Pixel Buds, Google Assistant). MASSIVE GLOBAL IMPACT Drove product adoption to achieve 1B+ translations per day and 600M+ Monthly Active Users (MAUs), with over 90% of usage originating outside the U.S., making it a top 10 mobile app globally. QUALITY HILLCLIMBING Initiated the qualitative international research program that provided actionable roadmap direction, enabling continuous quality hillclimbing by leveraging community-driven data to up-level language quality. ### Sr. UX Designer: Ads Innovation, Travel, Finance, LeadGen (0-to-1 Product) @ Google, Inc. Jan 2007 – Jan 2013 | Mountain View, CA & Shanghai, China 0-to-1 PRODUCT CREATION & MONETIZATION Pioneering New Verticals: Defined the ground-up UX product strategy and execution for multiple emerging, consumer-facing verticals that became significant new revenue streams for Google. GOOGLE FLIGHTS & MAPS MONETIZATION Spearheaded early-stage design for the travel vertical, leading directly to the acquisition of ITA and the creation of Google Flights. Led advertising innovation that successfully monetized Google Maps by kicking off the company's hotel ads product. GLOBAL B2B/B2C LEADGEN Led the product design team for new B2B/B2C lead generation advertising initiatives, driving innovation work with external strategic partners representing $1B+ in advertising spend. EXECUTIVE PARTNERSHIP & DESIGN LEADERSHIP Strategic Partnership: Served as a design partner for Susan Wojcicki (SVP, then CEO of YouTube) to define the long-term design vision for Google's advertising solutions. ECOSYSTEM INTEGRATION Delivered a comprehensive design and product roadmap to integrate 25+ customer and business-facing products across Ads, Travel, and Finance. GLOBAL DESIGN STRATEGY Led design thinking and innovation sessions for international teams in Mountain View, Tokyo, and Shanghai, defining UX strategy for core business partnerships (autos, mobile phone, mortgages). ### Head of UX Design & Research (Pre-Acquisition Executive) @ Postini, Inc. Jan 2005 – Jan 2007 | Redwood Shores, CA SUCCESSFUL ACQUISITION Led design, research, and customer experience, culminating in the acquisition by Google in 2007 (for$625M) to anchor Google Enterprise (now Google Work/Cloud). ENTERPRISE SCALE & STRATEGY Defined and executed product design strategy for the market leader in cloud-based message security, successfully capturing 10% of the Fortune 500 market as customers. REVENUE DIVERSIFICATION Launched adjacent products and diversified revenue streams, directly contributing to the increased company valuation and acquisition readiness. DESIGN FUNCTION ESTABLISHMENT Established foundational design processes and built the initial usability research team and infrastructure required for rapid, scale-ready design and development. ### GM, Creative Director & Founder @ SF Design Associates Jan 2004 – Jan 2006 | San Francisco Bay Area FOUNDATIONAL ENTERPRISE DESIGN Founded and led a design firm specializing in advanced Information Architecture, User Experience, and Development Services for B2B and SaaS platforms. STRATEGIC CLIENT INTEGRATION Successfully transitioned from founder/consultant to Head of Design and Research at Postini, Inc. in 2004 (the client company later acquired by Google), demonstrating deep integration and strategic ownership of client product lines. SERVICE DEFINITION & EXECUTION Defined and delivered comprehensive service models, including expert design reviews, user acquisition flows, customer profiling, and functional specification development, focused on driving client product maturity and growth. ### Director User Experience & Technology (Digital Learning Innovation) @ UC Berkeley, Digital Chemistry Project Jan 2003 – Jan 2005 | Berkeley, California, United States TECHNOLOGY & DESIGN INNOVATION Led the development of cutting-edge interactive, streaming web-based, and wireless technology products for higher education. STRATEGIC FUNDING & PARTNERSHIPS Co-led key partnerships with Macromedia and HP to secure funding for rich media learning technology projects. HIGH IMPACT DEVELOPMENT Launched the first large-scale Flash Communication Server deployment for higher education, delivering advanced interactive technology. EXTERNAL DESIGN VALIDATION Received a prestigious CHI Design Award for excellence in interactive learning technology at the CHI Design Expo, showcasing the rigor of the design work. RESEARCH & INDUSTRY ALIGNMENT Designed and launched advanced technology for the NSF-funded Digital Library project, ensuring alignment between academic learning outcomes and industry needs. ### Technical Architect Team Lead @ Berkeley Institute of Design (BID) / CITRIS Jan 2002 – Jan 2003 | Berkeley, California, United States CURRICULUM REDESIGN & EDUCATIONAL IMPACT Led the technical strategy, design, and implementation for a groundbreaking project redesigning the UC Berkeley Computer Science and Mechanical Engineering curricula. This academic initiative, focused on the retention of women in science programs, successfully shifted initial courses to be more interactive, project-based, and reflective of industry work practices. TECHNICAL INNOVATION & FOUNDATIONAL WORK Pioneered a new approach to online collaboration and learning, developing Object-Oriented (OO) design for streaming video and collaboration tools—work that served as a precursor to modern platforms like Zoom and Slack. EARLY CAREER ENGINEERING FOUNDATION My career foundation was built as a software engineer, C programmer, and systems architect, working for John Kemeny and Tom Kurtz, the inventors of the BASIC programming language. This deep engineering competency allows me to partner effectively with engineering teams as a design and technology executive. ## Education ### Bachelor of Arts - BA in Computer Science (& Spanish double major) Dartmouth College ### Ph.D. in interdisciplinary degree combining HCI, cognitive psychology, design, engineering, computer science University of California, Berkeley ## Contact & Social - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/alexcuthbert - Website: http://alexcuthbert.design --- Source: https://flows.cv/alexcuthbert JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/alexcuthbert/resume.json Last updated: 2026-04-08