✨ AI Will destroy your creativity. This is how to use AI smartly as a designer · The Bunker #38

It seems that everyone is talking about AI.

The internet is now full ofAI tools.

Additionally, many people seem to be discussing how these tools will make certain jobs disappear, as certain tasks can be replaced by tools that provide automation.

I have to admit that in certain aspects, it is a very good tool, especially for replacing repetitive mechanical jobs, where you simply execute the tool and it saves you hundreds of hours in a matter of seconds.

However, there is a risk here.

You are looking at the finger when I am pointing at the moon.

What does this mean? We are not looking at these tools analytically.

With the creation of AI tools, we want more and more.

We want everything automated. And it shouldn't work like that entirely. Everything cannot work like that.

AI tools are meant to complement our work, not completely delegate it.

For example, in this post, I used ChatGPT to help me think of points of interest for this article, but I’m the one who is writing it, who gives it my tone of voice.

I simply used it to see if there was any point that I was missing or that could be interesting.

And this directly affects your creativity.

Trusting AI tools 100% directly affects your potential and creativity. You stop doing things, you stop thinking about the tasks. You delegate it completely and stop squeezing your brain.

There are even experts who say that relying 100% on artificial intelligence can destroy your creativity.

Using AI tools is a good idea, but only if used as a secondary tool that can help complement your main tasks.

In this post, we'll explore the potential pitfalls of relying too heavily on AI in design and provide actionable tips on how to use AI smartly as a designer.

So, if you're a designer who is interested in maximizing your creativity and potential, read on to learn how to avoid the potential downsides of AI and use it as a tool to enhance your creativity.

🧠 AI can limit your imagination

While AI is great at generating ideas, it can also be limited by the data it has been trained on. This means that if you rely solely on AI-generated ideas, you may miss out on truly innovative and groundbreaking ideas that require more imagination and exploration.

Remember that the best ideas come when you least expect them, in the shower... doing sports... and although the AI can get good ideas, you can certainly get better ones if you rack your brain a little more.

🤖 All designs look the same

Since AI is based on patterns and trends, it can lead to designs that all look the same. This is because AI algorithms are trained on existing designs, so they tend to produce similar results.

You may end up with designs that lack originality and fail to stand out.

One way to use artificial intelligence as a tool in this case would be to do the moodboards and brand definition work, and give the artificial intelligence some visual clues of what you would like to achieve.

For example, you can give it the clue "make me a website and get inspired by the Awwwards". Awwwards are the Website Awards that recognize and promote the talent and efforts of the world's best web developers, designers and agencies.

So we know that in terms of typography, color, structure and animations it will be the best of the best.

If we give it 100% freedom, it is possible that artificial intelligence will be influenced by 90% of Dribbble's nonsensical designs.

🫵🏻 AI can reduce the human touch:

In the end, AI is a tool that is trained thanks to the millions of information available on the Internet.

AI is very good at repetitive tasks, at automating things that a robot can replace.

But let's remember a very important factor of creativity, it is the human factor, which is essential in design.

Basically, because creativity is often driven by emotions, experiences and personal perspectives.

While it is true that AI can be trained to use emotions, perspectives, experiences and so on. But, for my taste, it will always lack the human factor, a factor that can allow for some margin of error and less-than-perfect patterns.

So far so good, and with that we know why AI can harm us. But now, what can you do to use AI intelligently as a designer?

1. Use AI as a tool, not a replacement: AI can be a powerful tool for designers, but it should never replace human creativity and critical thinking. Use AI to enhance your work, but always engage in the creative process yourself.
2. Learn to use AI creatively: AI can be used in creative ways to generate unique ideas and designs. For example, you can train AI algorithms on different data sets to generate new and interesting design ideas. Use AI creatively to enhance your creativity, not replace it.
3. Use AI to automate repetitive tasks: AI is great at automating repetitive tasks, such as resizing images or formatting text. Use AI to free up time for more creative work, but don't rely on it for creative decisions.
4. Keep the human touch in your work: The human touch is what makes design truly great. Don't let AI replace the personal perspective and emotional connection that is essential in design.

With this post I simply want to warn you.

While it is true that AI can save us many hours and gives us great advantages. In this case, it also gives us disadvantages, and for my taste, too important.

So be careful and use it wisely. Like everything else in life.

It's important to remember that AI is a tool, not a replacement for human creativity and critical thinking.

Designers should use AI to automate repetitive tasks, generate unique ideas, and improve workflow efficiency, but they should always engage in the creative process themselves.

Using AI smartly and creatively, designers can take their creativity and potential to new heights, while keeping the human touch that is essential to great design.

Until next time,

Cheers, Jordi Espinosa.