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Will AI replace designers?
The short answer? Yes... but not in the way most people think.
When photography emerged in the 1800s, many believed painting would disappear. It didn't—it evolved.
When desktop publishing arrived in the 1980s, designers who embraced digital tools moved forward while others were left behind.
AI is another turning point.
I don't believe AI will replace creative work. I believe it will replace repetitive work—and expose those who refuse to evolve.
Ideas, taste, strategy and creative vision still come from people. AI is just a tool that amplifies them.
The future won't belong to designers who reject AI.
It will belong to designers who know how to use it better than everyone else.
What do you think? Will AI replace designers, or simply redefine what makes a great one?
The photography to painting parallel is such a good way to frame this. I think the designers who'll struggle most are the ones who saw their value as pure execution rather than judgment. What's the one skill you're doubling down on right now?
I'd say the one skill we should never lose is the ability to keep learning. I mean that in general , it applies to everything, not just design.
That's a good way to put it. Adaptability might end up being the actual core design skill, more than any specific tool or software fluency.
Good read, Diego!
Thank you so much! I truly appreciate your kind comment and the time you took to share it. It really means a lot to me!
I think there are more layers to this. As someone who has embraced AI and uses it daily, I also see how some people are trying to skip the process and get to the result without putting in the work or even trying to understand the problem.
There’s also the issue of AI being used...
Yeah, I completely agree. I think the biggest thing is that AI should be a tool that amplifies the creative process, not a shortcut to avoid it. The more experience and knowledge you have, the better you can actually use these tools.
And I think that’s why, as creatives, we need...
Good write up!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts! 😊
AI already changed how things relate one to another. As with every historical innovation, some jobs will disappear, others will emerge. Future feel harder to predict than 10 years ago.
Yeah, as creatives, we need to keep learning and making the most of all the tools available to us.
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AI didn't take my job. It became my business partner.
Every designer I know is asking the same question right now: what's left for us when AI can make something pretty in 10 seconds?
Here's my honest answer, from branding and from product.
The way I work has completely changed. Moodboards, variations, mockups, even clickable prototypes: what used to take days now takes hours.
But here's what nobody says out loud: people are making a lot of pretty things. And pretty doesn't build a brand.
Pretty doesn't tell a stranger why they should trust you.
Pretty doesn't make your offer clear in 5 seconds.
Pretty doesn't fix the screen where users give up.
That part is still on me. It's actually most of my job now.
So I stopped seeing AI as a competitor. It does the drafts, I do the thinking, and my clients get both, faster.
Designers, how has AI changed the way you work this year?
Wonderful presentation and I like your thought you shared
That's great its really creative 🎉🎉
Which one grabs your attention and should be the main visual for a framer template thumbnail?
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7 voted
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Both works are great; it's hard to choose