PE / TD technical leadership · AI-native engineering

AI is not a belief system. It is a changing engineering material.

I'm Bernadette Smail — a veteran design technologist and hands-on technical product leader. I have worked with AI since IBM's Watson era, write React and TypeScript prototypes, and build the MCP servers, agent workflows and review systems that turn model capability into dependable team leverage.

My position is neither all-in nor rejection. Start with programming and architecture fundamentals; research the models and their trade-offs; operationalize what works; validate it rigorously; then adapt the process as the technology changes.

Based
Toronto, ON
Practice
25+ years
Focus
Technical leadership
Contact
bernadette@systemshift.agency
01

Research the moving systemTrack model capability, efficiency, failure modes and architecture patterns without treating any vendor or release as permanent.

02

Architect before automatingSeparate models, context, tools, data, approvals and systems of record so the product can evolve without a ground-up rewrite.

03

Operationalize repeatable judgmentTurn experiments into versioned workflows with testable inputs, review gates, evidence, observability and clear release responsibility.

04

Adapt the process continuouslyRevisit methods as models and techniques change; keep the team coupled to outcomes and engineering principles rather than yesterday's toolchain.

05

Validate more than you generateUse strong programming fundamentals, code reading, tests and explicit failure analysis to verify AI-assisted work before it becomes product behavior.

06

Scale people with the systemPair junior growth with pseudocode, bounded ownership, code review and deliberate teaching so faster delivery does not hollow out technical judgment.

Connected systems

Technical leadership lives at the boundaries.

The durable work is not choosing an AI camp. It is designing the boundary between models, context, tools, data, systems of record, observability and the human decision that remains accountable.

Selected integration pattern

Agent + action orchestration

Human2ai connects specialist agents to business systems, approval gates and publishing workflows so generated output can become a reviewable action.

  • Custom MCP servers
  • Anthropic + OpenAI APIs
  • Odoo
  • n8n
  • Cal.com
  • PostgreSQL / Neon
  • Cloudinary

Selected integration pattern

Voice + video agents

Matti combines a live avatar, conversational voice and protected teacher workflows with explicit privacy and adult-escalation boundaries.

  • LiveAvatar / HeyGen
  • ElevenLabs
  • n8n
  • School-controlled handoff

Selected integration pattern

Enterprise + regulated systems

TD platform work connected modern employee interfaces to legacy operations, digital auditing and reusable component architecture across regulated workflows.

  • Power Platform / Power FX
  • SharePoint
  • 43-system integration
  • Micro-frontends
  • Digital signatures
  • Audit records

Selected integration pattern

Research + RAG pipelines

Air Canada research operations chained separate tools into a repeatable pipeline; TD repository work normalized twelve years of evidence for human retrieval and RAG use.

  • Mailchimp
  • Doodle
  • Webex
  • Axure
  • Otter.ai
  • Taxonomy + metadata
  • RAG preparation

Technical leadership evidence

From IBM Watson experiments to governed agentic delivery.

This work follows one through-line: research an emerging capability, make the architecture concrete, test it with people, operationalize the useful part, and revise the system when the evidence changes.

01

Human2ai2024 - present

Agentic systems · Catalog + marketing operations · Multi-brand platforms

Building a multi-brand AI business team from strategy to release

I lead product strategy and hands-on delivery for a platform that combines brand-aligned account managers, specialist agents, connected accounts, custom tools, multimodal inputs and reusable client workflows.

Product lead · Hands-on builder · Design technologist

Read the short case study

Human2ai turns natural-language requests, photographs, PDFs and spreadsheets into structured product data, storefront changes, print-ready labels, product imagery and scheduled campaign assets while keeping consequential changes reviewable. I own the interaction model, shared component architecture, brand tokens, implementation patterns and release decisions across the product.

Human:AI homepage presenting an AI business team for small businesses

Outcome signals

  • Catalog-to-campaign workflows
  • Reusable component + token system
  • Connected specialist-agent workflows
  • Approval-gated publishing
04

TD Bank2023

Internal tooling · Governance · Hands-on delivery

Breaking 12 years of research out of organizational silos

Research evidence was trapped across disconnected teams, tools and repositories. I owned the strategy, service design, product design and hands-on build of a shared, governed decision system for more than 400 design practitioners, preparing twelve years of evidence for both human discovery and RAG use.

Product owner · Service designer · Product design lead · Power FX developer

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The core problem was organizational isolation: researchers could not see what other teams had already learned, so knowledge stayed buried and work was repeated. I designed the information architecture, shared taxonomy, metadata model, normalization rules, search and preview experience, tagging, subscriptions, governance and automation that connected those silos. This structure prepared twelve years of research for retrieval-augmented generation as well as human discovery, turning fragmented research into reusable enterprise evidence inside a regulated bank.

Contemporary illustration of researchers working in separate stacked compartments, representing organizational knowledge silos

Outcome signals

  • 11,500+ hours saved annually
  • $120K in licensing eliminated
  • 50+ prototypes iterated
06

TD Bank2021

Regulated workflows · Micro-frontends · Enterprise scale

Transforming domestic wire origination across 1,158 branches

I led the transformation from an old blue-screen wire-origination system to a modern employee UI: information architecture, functional Axure prototyping, iterative testing and direction of the high-fidelity work produced by a UI designer.

Information architecture · Axure prototyping · Iterative testing · UI design direction

Read the short case study

Domestic wire origination had to reconcile complex compliance, branch and system requirements while replacing a legacy blue-screen workflow with a modern, comprehensible employee experience. After validating the Axure prototype, I led the design transition while a UI designer created the high-fidelity Figma work. I also facilitated a micro-frontend workshop with developers to define reusable components, patterns and variants. Digital auditing capabilities and a digital-signature flow replaced printing and manual filing with a traceable record, eliminating approximately 1.56 million printed pages annually across 1,158 branches.

Modern accessible TD bank branch representing domestic wire origination across the branch network

Outcome signals

  • 43 system integrations
  • 1,158 branches enabled
  • Digital audit + signature flow
  • 1.56M printed pages eliminated annually
10

Air Canada · IBM iX2019

Watson-era AI · Travel commerce · Functional prototyping

Booking a flight through conversation instead of forms

In 2019, I designed a functional Axure proof of concept showing how a Watson AI conversational assistant could guide customers through ticket purchase and seat selection instead of conventional forms.

Conversation design · Axure prototyping · AI use-case framing

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The prototype reimagined a form-heavy booking flow as a guided dialogue. It demonstrated how an AI assistant could gather trip requirements, maintain context, present options and support visual seat selection without losing the clarity and control customers expect from a transactional travel experience.

Conversational Air Canada flight-booking prototype with itinerary context and visual seat selection

Outcome signals

  • End-to-end booking dialogue
  • Conversational seat selection
  • Early AI feasibility demonstrated
15

Art Gallery of Ontario2018

Watson AI · Personalization · Omnichannel journeys

Moving from today's journey to an AI-personalized future

I helped AGO leadership, curators and operations teams turn ambitious ideas about AI and personalization into a phased experience vision.

Future vision · Journey mapping · Executive facilitation

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Co-creation workshops explored how AI, beacon technology and predictive analytics could deepen visitor engagement. I structured the ambition into an actionable path from immediate improvements to a personalized future-state experience.

AGO personalized visit journey steps with Watson capabilities

Outcome signals

  • Now / Near / Far journey maps
  • Cross-functional leadership aligned
  • Prioritized transformation roadmap
08

Air Canada2020

Research operations · Loyalty · Workflow automation

Turning a frequent-flyer panel into a reusable research pipeline

For the Aeroplan integration, I stood up a reusable panel of 64 frequent flyers segmented by flyer-status archetype and personally conducted all 64 moderated user-testing sessions, with an interview following each test. I then chained recruitment, scheduling, testing, recording and synthesis tools into one repeatable remote-research pipeline, using early AI services such as Otter.ai for transcription.

Research operations · Lead moderator and interviewer · Strategic service design · Functional prototyping

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I personally conducted all 64 moderated user-testing sessions across the flyer-status archetypes, interviewing each participant after the test, and designed the operational system around them: a searchable participant panel, repeatable recruitment, Mailchimp communications, Doodle scheduling, Axure prototypes, Webex sessions, recordings, early AI transcription through Otter.ai and searchable synthesis. The pipeline made continuous evidence gathering practical while shaping onboarding, points redemption, family pooling and seat-selection flows.

Five-stage Air Canada research pipeline connecting a panel of 64 frequent flyers segmented by Aeroplan status archetype to recruitment, scheduling, prototype testing, capture and early AI transcription with Otter.ai

Outcome signals

  • 64 moderated tests + follow-up interviews
  • Status-archetype panel
  • End-to-end tool-chain pipeline
  • Early AI transcription with Otter.ai
07

Canada.ca · IBM iX2020

Flagship government platform · Systems architecture · Service integration

Creating the North Star architecture for My Service Canada

I synthesized fragmented research, future-state concepts and technical insight into a North Star system map for proactive, integrated benefits delivery.

Research synthesis · North Star system mapping · Experience architecture

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The North Star system map showed how data lakes, benefits platforms, IBM Curam, SADA and predictive tools could support a single citizen touchpoint. It gave service and technical teams a shared architecture for centralized data, proactive eligibility notifications and iterative modernization.

Accessible Service Canada centre exterior representing the Canada.ca flagship service architecture

Outcome signals

  • North Star system map
  • Federal + provincial systems mapped
  • Proactive eligibility concept
03

Matti2026

LiveAvatar / HeyGen · ElevenLabs · Education · Responsible AI

Making a student-facing video agent safe to use

I built a multilingual school-kiosk proof of concept using LiveAvatar / HeyGen for the live avatar and ElevenLabs for voice and conversation, with low-threshold interaction, explicit adult handoff and privacy protections.

Builder · Product and interaction design · Responsible-AI workflow design

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Matti tested how a LiveAvatar / HeyGen video agent, paired with ElevenLabs voice and conversational AI, could feel approachable while remaining bounded. The kiosk adapted language and complexity by class level, cleared private state between sessions and connected high-risk conversations to explicit, school-controlled adult handoff paths. A protected teacher UI helps staff respond appropriately to bullying and conflict by guiding the first response, documentation, escalation route and relevant school channels; it supports staff judgment rather than automating discipline.

Matti school-kiosk interface for choosing a language and class before talking with the assistant

Outcome signals

  • Multilingual school-kiosk PoC
  • Protected teacher response UI
  • Privacy + escalation gates
02

Klara Klartext2026

Civic AI · Countering right-wing populism · Education

Turning political claims into calm, factual responses

I originated and built the product experience for a multilingual AI assistant created with volunteers of OMAS GEGEN RECHTS. It helps people assess political claims, respond to slogans and develop age-appropriate teaching materials without telling users what to think.

Originator · Product design and build · AI interaction system

Visit the live experience
Read the short case study

Klara is a volunteer-built AI assistant for OMAS GEGEN RECHTS Hürth. It takes a slogan, quotation or political claim, recognizes the concern behind it, checks the factual basis and separates fact, analysis and conclusion. Three modes support responding to slogans, explaining political statements and creating teaching materials. A ten-level clarity scale adapts the same question from kindergarten through research level, while source transparency, explicit uncertainty and an empowering-not-preaching stance protect user judgment.

Klara Klartext multilingual civic-information assistant homepage

Outcome signals

  • 3 purpose-built conversation modes
  • 10 comprehension levels
  • 12+ languages
05

TD Bank2022

Platform scale · Design ops · Enablement frameworks

Scaling human-centred delivery across 60+ business lines

When one embedded UX specialist could not serve dozens of parallel CCaaS workstreams, I redesigned the operating model around reusable discovery tools and decentralized enablement.

Service design lead · Research · Facilitation · Enablement systems

Read the short case study

I built the workshop framework, implementation playbook, taxonomy and project hub, led more than 20 accessibility user interviews, then trained delivery leads to use the system. Research on phone anxiety also informed more inclusive, chat-first service pathways.

Research findings on phone anxiety, routing issues and support ideas

Outcome signals

  • 60+ business lines enabled
  • Reusable Sprint Zero framework
  • 20+ accessibility user interviews

Experience

Fundamentals that survive language and model change.

2024 - present

Founder & Principal Consultant

SYSTEMshift AI Strategy Inc.

Product strategy, interaction design, architecture and hands-on development for Human2ai, a multi-brand AI business platform with specialist agents, multimodal inputs, custom MCP servers and approval-gated publishing. Originated and built Klara Klartext, a multilingual civic AI assistant, and built Matti, a responsible student-facing LiveAvatar / HeyGen and ElevenLabs kiosk with protected teacher-response workflows.

2022 - 2024

Senior Manager, Service Design

TD Bank / TD Invent

Enterprise platforms, operational workflows, research systems and automation in a highly regulated environment - from product ownership through hands-on delivery.

2016 - 2022

Senior UX Consultant / Design Technologist

IBM iX

Led design-thinking facilitation and North Star discovery for Watson AI-enabled use cases, alongside research, service design and functional prototyping across banking, travel, government and healthcare.

2010 - 2015

Senior Information Architect

Grip Limited

Connected creative and development teams by turning campaign ideas into buildable information architecture, interaction models and prototypes for Facebook apps and games, brand websites and other digital experiences for Honda, Acura, Budweiser, Taco Bell, McCain, Splenda, Neutrogena and Wonder Bread.

2009 - 2010

Information Architect / Creative Team Lead

Affinity Health

Designed the end-to-end information architecture for the National Guard Bureau's Joint Services Support (JSS) portal - a one-stop gateway connecting Guardmembers and families to state- and unit-level programs across 54 states and territories - and mentored the creative team in qualitative human-centred-design methods.

2006 - 2008

UX Designer / PHP Developer

Netex Enterprises Inc.

Built a patient-management system and a full-stack digital-signage platform with the LAMP stack, JavaScript, CSS and ActionScript 3 - a later chapter in a development practice already underway since 1999.

1999 - 2006

Web Developer / Interactive Designer

Early web and interactive media work

Production development began by 1999 across websites, browser-based experiences and interactive media, establishing the technical foundation for the LAMP, ActionScript and front-end systems work that followed.

Team scaling principle

Use AI to expose judgment, not replace it.

Junior developers should work inside a strict learning loop: explain the problem in pseudocode, make a bounded plan, pair with the tools, read and challenge the generated code, test failure paths, and own the reasoning in review. That preserves fundamentals while letting the whole team benefit from higher throughput.

Visit human2ai.ca

How I work

Research. Implement. Observe. Adapt.

“Bernadette is an exceptional UX/UI researcher and designer. Her strategic insights and design expertise consistently delivered impactful solutions, making her highly sought after by clients and product teams alike.”

Helen Romano Head of IBM iX · Manager

  1. 01ResearchUnderstand capability, cost, efficiency, risk and the surrounding architecture.
  2. 02ImplementEncode what works in a repeatable delivery system with explicit validation and ownership.
  3. 03ObserveRead the code, test the behavior and monitor the model, workflow and human outcome.
  4. 04AdaptChange the process when evidence changes, then teach the reasoning behind the change.

Working across

System architectureReact + TypeScriptJavaScript + NodePHP + MySQL foundationsPseudocode + design patternsCode reading + validationIBM Watson AIOpenAI + Anthropic APIsMCP servers + agent toolingRAG-ready information architectureHuman approval + auditabilityTeam enablement + mentoring