To Use AI or Not to Use AI? That is the Question

Okay, as usual I'm a bit late to the party on all the AI stuff.

As a huge film fan (Terminator, I, Robot, The Matrix - the list goes on), I've had nothing but warnings about artificial intelligence and how it will destroy us. But regardless of that, here we are anyway. It's here.

So even though I'm steeped in cinematic warnings, I'm going to try and be slightly more rational. Slightly!

Remember Life Before Computers?

Hands up if you remember a time before computers. (You have your hand up, don't you?!)

I remember being in high school, walking past a room full of typewriters and thinking "I'm going to learn how to type." But before I even got to that point, computers arrived. I'm sure there was panic then too - they're going to take people's jobs, they're going to take over everything, everything will change. You know, the normal irrational fear of something new.

Did they take people's jobs? Yes.

Did they take over everything? Well, you probably have a small computer in your hand right now reading this, so... yes!

Did they change everything? Yes.

Did we adapt? Yes we did. New jobs were created because we started using computers.

Where I Stand on AI

Look, I know there's an ethical argument about the amount of water and energy AI uses to process things. And this does worry me. But I think it's here, and it's something we're going to have to learn to navigate. Would I prefer we weren't at this point? Absolutely - in fact, I avoided it for ages.

But honestly, if I get a robot that will do the housework, I'll be so happy!

I'll be honest: I use AI. I'm not a literary genius - writing is not where I thrive. So everything I write goes through AI (yes, even this blog) because sometimes I ramble, or have a thousand ideas, and it helps me make sense of it all.

Brainstorming about my business has been hugely helpful too.

Would I prefer to work with a person? Absolutely.

Can I afford that right now? No.

So I'm making use of a tool to help me. And yes, I say please - just in case there's an AI uprising, I want to be on the nice list!

How Does This Affect Design?

Well, I thought you might wonder if I was getting to that!

I've seen photographs and images created by AI - they can be spectacular.

I've tried it myself out of curiosity. I asked for a video with a Lego-based background that kept changing (I was thinking about social media algorithms at the time), with me sitting in front playing with Lego and ignoring what was happening behind me. For some reason, there was a random leg in the result.

Did it make me laugh?

It did, for far too long probably.

Would I use it? No. Well, maybe for an "I tried design AI and this is what happened" kind of post.

Would I use it when designing a brand? Probably not.

These things are supposed to save time, but when I've tested them, it takes ages and doesn't come up with anything I'd actually want to use.

I've heard some designers say AI will thin the herd - the not-so-good designers will disappear, replaced by AI, and the really good ones will remain because AI can't replicate what they do.

Now, I'm hoping I'm in the second batch of designers. (Sits with fingers crossed and hopeful look on her face.)

I'd miss the challenge of learning something new, or forgetting something I knew and figuring it out again - that's an old age thing!

But I don't think AI can capture what I capture from someone - those nuances, the little things I pick up when we're talking, from body language or how passionately they speak about something. That's what I capture when I work with someone. AI is good, but I don't think it can do that.

Should You Use AI?

That's entirely your choice.

If you feel ethically that you don't want to touch it, I completely understand. We all draw our lines in different places, and that's okay.

If you're okay with the idea but worried about the design side, here's my take:

I say this a lot: you don't have to get everything right on day one. And you don't. I don't think in the first few years of business you should hire a designer. You don't need a logo on the first day (I wrote a blog about that here). You need to have that journey and figure out being in business - it's a big step and there's so much to learn.

So use the tools that are available to you.

Want a logo? Get AI to help if you want. It may not be perfect, but that's okay.

Don't have stock photos and feeling nervous about selfies? Use AI to create imagery.

Be honest about where you are. Say "I'm figuring this stuff out, this is where I am right now."

When you're ready - when you've been on that journey, navigated the twists and turns of deciding who you are now that you've left a "job" behind, defined how you want to work and figured out who your people are (after trial and error with some absolute nightmares) - that's when you invest in a designer.

The Bottom Line

Don't feel guilty about using tools to get you where you want to be. Just remember that human designers can still see things AI can't.

Don't feel guilty about using anything that saves you time, energy, and brain space. You're going to be doing so many things you never realised you had to do - give yourself a break for using something that helps you move forward.