Designing A Brand New Relationship with Artificial Intelligence

Whether we admit it, like it, or believe it, we’re in a relationship with AI.

It’s in the apps and tools we use daily. It’s in the conversations we have with our friends and family. It’s on the news, affecting our markets, and sometimes hiding in plain sight.

Some of you might be embracing this new relationship excited by the shiny new efficiencies it brings to your life.

Others might be in denial about this relationship, unwilling to admit its effect on you. We all know where that story ends.

And for many, you might be fearful about this relationship and the change it represents. The feelings of not enough it might surface. Those thoughts and fears are not yours alone. There’s been a growing undertone of fear and chatter in our industry that AI is coming for our jobs.

I understand the fear, but refuse to be petrified by it. Not because the threat isn’t real but because it isn’t productive.

There are some jobs that only humans can execute that AI will not replace. That’s because AI cannot replace the thing that makes us human. Emotions. Empathy. Intuition. Creativity.

It can be programmed to fake it and is getting better each day. This means designers must continue to step up our game, use the latest tools, and learn new skills. We shouldn’t focus on skills that will eventually be automated. Using the right tool for the job will be more important than ever. That includes designing for and with AI.