Will artificial intelligence (AI) take over design work? Will it replace designers in the future?
When artificial intelligence is mentioned, it is immediately portrayed as human alternatives. While there is no doubt that artificial intelligence will change the status quo of design work, the idea that this intelligent technology will replace humans is not entirely accurate. As technology develops and the economy changes, it is natural for business processes to change, and the design work process is also affected by this.
When we understand how artificial intelligence will profoundly change the design process, (designers) should not regard artificial intelligence as a threat, but should focus on the opportunities that artificial intelligence brings to the design field. The impact of design practice and design principles, and how the work of designers will change.
To understand the impact of artificial intelligence in design, it is helpful to analyze the context in which design principles and design practices operate. Design principles refer to the philosophy of design, while design practice involves design methods and design objects. Understanding both will help us gain insights into the impact of AI on design.
Generally speaking, the purpose of design is to create meaningful solutions. From an organizational perspective, designers follow design thinking principles to achieve this goal.
In traditional design methods, these activities require human effort. But artificial intelligence can fundamentally change this situation. Artificial intelligence can enable the design process by recording real-time data on user interactions or market trends. This data can be used as input to designers, or more deeply, used to build AI engines. AI engines have problem-solving capabilities and can generate solutions for a variety of environments without human interaction.
AI can also free designers from detailed decision-making.
During the design process, several decisions need to be made and actions taken—but only a few of them require a high degree of imagination or creativity.
Most decisions require problem-solving skills, especially complex decisions during development, such as the functional shape of an object or the display of text details. AI can handle these issues, allowing designers to focus more on the creative aspects of design.
Therefore, in the era of artificial intelligence, the role of designers will be to come up with new products and designs to solve problems, rather than conceiving or creating designs at scale. These loops serve as independent, human-free design systems that replace humans with machines to solve specific problems. Therefore, it is possible to implement a prototype that provides multiple solutions in a short time without a large effort.
While technology plays an important role in influencing jobs and reducing development costs and time, its role in design practice is rather limited.
With artificial intelligence, this is changing as it brings automation into “design”, not just “making”. Automation capabilities enable designers to complete their work faster, making workflows more efficient. A good example is the AI system being developed by Airbnb, which can convert models drawn by designers into component specifications. It is reported that Airbnb uses artificial intelligence to change operations in various ways.
The role of AI in design practice is not limited to the automation of existing practices. Its ability to solve problems can also influence detailed design choices, such as the type of content created, the way the product is positioned, the interface presented to the user, and so on.
AI will make dynamic design possible, that is, what kind of user experience the AI system will design in the present. The role of the designer is to design cycles that solve the problem, not to design solutions.
As artificial intelligence begins to be deeply integrated into the design field, what will the future look like for designers? What should designers know to adapt and thrive in the AI era?
A major breakthrough of AI in the field of design is that designers will transform from creators to organizers. They will develop an artificial intelligence system and train it to solve problems based on different goals and contexts. One of their roles is to set parameters, constraints, and goals for other models and to define and train AI systems.
Another aspect is fine-tuning AI-generated designs and reviewing them.
Artificial intelligence will give people access to programs such as creative intelligence training and human-centered design training. As a result, non-designers will have the opportunity to develop their creativity and design thinking skills, empowering them to pursue a career in design. Therefore, creativity and design skills are not enough to sustain a designer. To remain competitive, designers must develop expertise in multiple areas or specialize in a specific area.
While the barriers to entry into the design industry will decrease, the demand for those who are proficient in the craft will increase. With AI-powered tools, amateur designers can quickly produce thousands of design variations. But in order to review them we need experienced designers.
The next big thing in design is augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR). In the next few years, AR and VR will explode, creating demand for specific skills. Additionally, the challenges of interacting with VR and curating virtual experiences will require unique skills that AI engines may not be able to meet. Therefore, in future design, the virtual world provides designers with great potential for development.
Designers of the future must creatively work with algorithms to improve their work processes. Let’s look at three areas of the most notable collaboration between humans and machines.
Designers will work with machines to quickly build UIs. Logic, environment, etc. are all defined by designers, and AI will use standardized patterns and principles to write implementation designs.
Simple image tasks such as creating different combinations, different color matching cards, etc., require designers to spend a lot of time. AI can quickly complete these tasks with appropriate inputs. Therefore, designers will work with AI tools to quickly prepare design elements.
Big data analytics provides actionable insights for personalized user experience. The recommendation engines used by companies such as Netflix and Spotify are examples of how AI can effectively personalize the user experience. Designers will use this AI skill to provide better personalized user experiences.
Far from being a threat that puts designers out of work, artificial intelligence will open the door to many opportunities. It enables designers to co-create smarter, faster work with machines. The cooperation of humans and computers will accomplish things that were previously impossible for one person alone. Additionally, AI is capable of continuous learning, which is at the heart of innovation.
AI enables designers to transcend limitations in scope, scale and learning. It will be a fascinating journey where innovation, creativity and empathy come together to give design new meaning.
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