The Future of Design: The AI Debate

As artificial intelligence’s popularity – and possibilities – soar, designers are becoming increasingly aware of the potential risks that lie ahead. The question is: is this concern legitimate? Is there a future for designers if robots become capable of creating art, and are readily available at a low cost?

There is no doubt that change – and particularly the term AI – can be daunting. But, in the same way that humans have long sought to create machines and technology to revolutionise our lives – for the better – we believe that we will quickly adapt to co-create with AI tech. 

In our industry, innovation is a constant, so we shouldn’t be afraid, but look to the possibilities instead. It’s about embracing AI as a partner, rather than viewing it as a threat. 

Using artificial intelligence, designers will be able to streamline their design process and create a wider range of more sophisticated visuals – and that’s just the beginning. Here are three ways AI is benefiting the design industry:

• Dynamically personalising the user experience 

As a result of AI technology, a huge amount of market data can be collected about a variety of industries, audiences and products. AI can utilise market and design data to identify which visuals in a particular industry are the most appealing to target audiences. In this way, AI simplifies the process of A/B testing website designs and advertisements by making suggestions based on this analysis.

AI can also be used to create adaptive designs that change based on who is viewing them. Depending on audience interests and preferences, a webpage could appear differently to different viewers. The future of these technologies may still be a long way off, but marketers and web designers looking to optimise user experiences should be excited about them – not scared of them. 

• Streamlining tasks for designers 

Artificial intelligence streamlines design tasks by reducing the hassle for designers. Today, it’s common for designers to spend much of their time cropping, resizing, and colour-correcting images. But by automating these tasks, designers can focus on more meaningful aspects of their work instead of tedious manual labour. As a result, tedious processes are streamlined, legwork is eliminated, and designers are better able to use their time creatively.

• Creating variations 

AI can quickly generate multiple variations when it recognises a pattern. For example, Nutella equipped an AI tool with an algorithm that creates multiple iterations of a particular visual motif. A colourful new exhibit gained media attention, and users were excited by the variety of special edition Nutella jar designs. The campaign was far more compelling to users than just a single new label. 

There is no doubt that AI will revolutionise the design process. However, it will be something designers can add to their toolkit, rather than something that will replace them.