Back to the LeaderboardThe Design Leadership Index

Jenny Blackburn

VP of UX for Gemini Experiences & Google Assistant, Google DeepMind

ExecutiveLeads from the backHybrid schoolAIProductOrg
She is steering a massive design org and a flagship AI product through the generative-AI transition while explicitly framing AI as a partner that elevates designers rather than replacing them.

Signature win. Leads UX for Gemini, one of the world's largest consumer AI products, shaping how hundreds of millions of people experience generative AI day to day.

The case

editorial · CCBEI · with sources
CraftTwo decades holding the UX bar at Apple, Amazon (Alexa voice/conversational AI), now VP of UX for Gemini; led Gemini redesigns to make AI output legible and human (e.g. away from the 'wall of text').8
CommunicationPublic voice on the AI-design transition via Design Better podcast and Google I/O 2024; articulates how generative AI blurs designer/developer boundaries and what skills the era demands.8
BusinessOwns UX for Gemini Experiences and Assistant, consumer AI products used by hundreds of millions, sitting at the center of Google's flagship AI bet from boardroom to squad.9
EducationKnown for building large, diverse, high-performance UX orgs and reskilling designers through the AI shift, framing curiosity and hands-on experimentation as the core attribute to grow.8
InnovationPushes the practice forward by integrating LLMs into design workflows as a collaborative partner that lifts designers, not replaces them, the elevate side of the test; pioneered voice/conversational UX at Alexa.8

Endorsed by peers

illustrative · opens with verified accounts
OverallI'd work for them92
CraftRaised my craft bar89
CommunicationMade the case for design89
BusinessMade design matter to the business100
EducationTaught me something I still use89
InnovationShowed me a new way to work89

Verified peers only — one tap with LinkedIn. Names stay private; we show role and industry. Bars are illustrative until the participation backend is live.

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