Is AI Coming For My Job?

The design landscape is evolving. Fast. But I don’t think my role is at risk. And here are my favorite reasons why:

AI Produces Sameness

Even though there are tools now that can write, design, answer, and generate content quickly, these outputs average what has come before and so have a similar tone, structure, and “good enough” result that starts to look the same.

Human Intuition is Beautifully Unpredictable

If you ask the same question to five different people, you’ll get five completely different responses. Beautiful, personal interpretation is becoming rare and, therefore, valued.

Design Is a Service, After All

Even if people had the time and inclination to build their own website, they don't always know how to articulate what they want. The designer service comes with a bit of hand-holding in order to help discern what matters most.

Even Spaceships in 2325 Need Engineers

Once you get past “vibe coding,” real engineering is necessary to fix what’s not working. Knowing what to fix, why it broke, whether the fix creates a new problem downstream, and whether the underlying goal has shifted, that's a different skill than executing the fix.

Can You Trust AI?

There is a certain amount of distrust in any AI agent as they routinely make up details, and are not bothered by mistakes — unless you are (maybe). Designers have spent time mastering their craft, are devoted and passionate about their work, and are dedicated to doing it well.

Does AI Know What is Good?

We all now have access to the same tools. That doesn’t mean we all know what the right tool for a job actually is. We also all have access to home building tools and expert chef recipes; that doesn’t mean we can necessarily execute these things well. Choosing a direction, surfacing the right story, and knowing exactly how much is enough — that judgment comes from years of practice. My clients trust my perspective and the experience I've built over time.

Designers Have Holistic Vision

By default, we have vision. And we love articulating solutions to problems with words, interfaces, and design — and selling them. Everything is part of a system. And, we often begin with the wild stuff in order to get to that truly unique solution. We don’t start at baseline.

I am Here Because I Want to Be

Can AI say that?