I’m a designer who’s worried about AI, but not for the reasons you think.

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses the author's perspective on the rise of AI and its impact on the design industry. The author expresses concerns about designers' over-reliance on AI to handle design tasks, rather than focusing on improving their craft. The article also criticizes the design community's tendency to get distracted by new technologies and trends, rather than staying true to their core responsibilities.

🙋 Q&A

[01] The author's perspective on AI and its impact on designers

1. What are the author's main concerns about the rise of AI in the design industry?

• The author is concerned that designers are becoming too reliant on AI to handle design tasks, rather than focusing on improving their own craft and skills.
• The author believes that designers should not be trying to "design less" and leave UI design to AI, but rather should focus on mastering their craft.
• The author argues that designers who are not skilled in the fundamentals of design should not be leading strategy and decision-making, as their lack of craft expertise will be reflected in their work.

2. How does the author view the role of designers in relation to AI?

• The author believes that designers should be using AI to enhance their products and services, rather than using it to reduce their own workload.
• The author suggests that designers should be educating themselves on how to build training models and determine appropriate data sets to feed into AI systems, in order to create valuable products.
• The author argues that designers should not be trying to hand off "mundane" design tasks to AI, as the process of doing these tasks can actually give people a sense of purpose.

[02] The author's perspective on the design community's response to new technologies

1. What is the author's view on the design community's reaction to the rise of AI?

• The author is critical of the "mass hysteria" and overreaction from some designers on platforms like LinkedIn regarding the potential for AI to replace designers.
• The author believes that many designers do not actually understand how AI works, but still want it to take over their work without losing their jobs.
• The author sees this as a "losing battle" for designers, as they are trying to design less rather than focusing on mastering their craft.

2. How does the author view the role of industry events and social media in relation to new technologies?

• The author is skeptical of design conferences and social media platforms, seeing them as venues for "hoax-spreading" and "marketing fraud" when it comes to new technologies.
• The author believes that these platforms often promote misunderstandood and out-of-context concepts, rather than facilitating intelligent, relevant discussions.
• The author prefers to share their thoughts on platforms like Medium, where the content itself can be more easily evaluated rather than relying on metrics like claps, comments, and follows.

3. What is the author's advice for designers regarding new technologies and industry trends?

• The author advises designers not to get distracted by the "new shiny things" and trends that constantly emerge in the industry.
• The author believes that designers should stay focused on delivering their biggest impact, rather than chasing what others tell them to chase.
• The author emphasizes the importance of mastering one's craft and staying true to one's core responsibilities, rather than being reactive to the latest technologies or industry happenings.