DAM New York 2026
How AI Creates Space for the Work That Matters Most
Context:
Two years ago: the SharkNinja DAM was functional but underutilized: 52,000 assets, 527 users, and a platform without a real program built around it.
What we did: a deliberate relaunch built around taxonomy, governance, training, and integrations.
The result: 261,000 assets, 2,800 global users, monthly logins up 16x, and downloads up 22x. Growth driven by program design, not the tool itself.
But scale creates new problems. A two-person team managing 2,500 to 3,000 uploads per week can't absorb that volume manually.
Meeting the challenge:
- How SharkNinja built a custom AI-powered metadata workflow that processes batch uploads accurately and efficiently without sacrificing taxonomy integrity.
- How that changed what the DAM manager does.
When AI handles the mechanical work, the DAM manager’s role is clarified: deeper user guidance, stronger governance, and the expert curation that no algorithm replaces.
Covering:
- How deliberate program design drives DAM adoption at scale.
- A framework for identifying where AI creates genuine value and where human expertise is irreplaceable.
- A forward-looking perspective on what the DAM manager role is becoming.
Kristi Morrison-Clear, Global Digital Asset Manager, SharkNinja
