SASA College of Industrial Design’s team attended the 2026 International Academic Exchange Week on Human-AI Co-Creation, held on 9–10 November in Changsha, Hunan Province, China. The event brought together international scholars, designers and educators to discuss the future of design education and practice under the focus of Human Intelligence Co-creation, with particular attention to the role of human intelligence, ethical judgement and collaboration in an age of advanced AI.
The College attended to benchmark its academic approach, learn from established institutions and identify ways to strengthen industrial design education in Uganda. One institution of interest was Yunnan University, whose history shares similarities with SASA College, as both were founded by architects. SASA sees an opportunity to learn from the university’s experience over the past 50 years.
During the event, SASA College Founder, Associate Professor Kenneth Ssemwogerere, presented on the importance of industrial design in Uganda and its potential contribution to national growth, particularly through local production, innovation and manufacturing.
The visit also provided an opportunity to explore possible areas of collaboration with Yunnan University, including scholarship opportunities for SASA students and academic exchange involving tutors from the university. These discussions form part of the College’s efforts to strengthen its academic capacity and create further learning opportunities.