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With every new iteration of generative AI, the question gets asked again: is this finally the end of design? Midjourney. DALL-E. Nano Banana Pro. Claude Design. ChatGPT Images 2.0 – the “first image model with thinking capabilities” – and the conversation starts over. ‘Is this the beginning of the end?’
That’s the wrong question. And the more it gets asked, the more it reveals about what people misunderstand about creative work and what it takes to get it to feel right.
Can’t fake the feeling
AI generates quickly, drawing from the vast pool of everything that already exists. However, even the most advanced models can’t replicate a designer’s ability to anticipate emotional outcomes – to understand how work will land with an audience, resonate with a client or move someone unexpectedly.
The gap between producing work and making the right creative decisions is growing
This only comes with the razor sharp ability to anticipate, gauge, and react all in microseconds – essentially, what you need human instincts to do.
The gap between producing work and making the right creative decisions is growing. And as these tools become more widely available, that judgement becomes more valuable, not less. Those ideas will look and feel even richer and more memorable.
Think of generative AI as a Formula 1 car. It’s an extraordinary machine – built for breathtaking speed, engineered for precision, designed to push the limits of what’s physically possible. But it doesn’t win races without a seasoned driver behind the wheel.
Drivers spend years developing their instincts, their strategy and the physical and mental resilience to handle what that car demands. Those instincts aren’t just an advantage – they’re what keep them on the track.
Anyone can climb into that cockpit. They might even go very fast. But without the experience to read conditions, anticipate the turns and make decisions in real time, they won’t win – and they may not finish a lap.
Generative AI works the same way. It’s a genuinely exciting tool with plenty of firepower. But without a trained eye, developed taste and real creative instinct behind it, the results move fast without going anywhere meaningful.
As creatives, we keep our hands on the wheel – because speed alone has never been the point. It’s a way for us to unlock our best stories, allowing us to focus on fine tuning the details we’ve historically had to perfect while crossing the finish line.
Human creatives aren’t going anywhere
Generative AI isn’t pushing designers toward obsolescence. If anything, it’s demonstrating how much the quality of creative decisions matters. Coca-Cola’s 2024 Christmas campaign drew real backlash for its hollow, uncanny imagery. Volvo’s Come Back Stronger (above) was called lazy. People feel the difference, even when they can’t articulate why.
The more we see that kind of response to careless AI use, the more people will seek out experienced creative partners – people who can bring focus, feeling and genuine craft to the work. It’s something we have deeply rooted in our being. The desire to feel something real.
I was surprised in the best way by Nike’s Whatever Your Game ad (below) because it took a memorable, unexpected turn. It’s also a reminder that we’re in the business of storytelling, even if we’re using AI as the tool to bring it to life.
Excited for the road ahead
I’m not afraid of this moment. I’m excited by it. We’ve spent years developing instincts for this work, and in turn, refining our taste to partner and pioneer success for some of the biggest brands in the world.
I want to see what becomes possible when those instincts meet our ability to let loose with these tools. Pedal to the metal. To demonstrate how well we recognise which AI tools to use where and when for the best outcomes.
More people have access to powerful creative resources than ever before – and that’s a good thing. Creativity is alive and well. What AI can’t replicate is the instinct behind it: knowing how to really hug the curves, when to push, when to pull back, when something is close but not quite there yet. That only comes from time on the track.
Time will do what it always does – it will reveal the difference between those using AI to amplify their creativity and those using it to automate it. It will differentiate the drivers and the passengers, and the work will speak for itself.
AI doesn’t care where it ends up. But we do
What I do think about is autopilot. The moment we stop engaging – stop questioning, refining, holding ourselves and each other accountable for the quality of the work, we risk falling asleep at the wheel. That’s when things go wrong.
Without direction, the AI doesn’t care where it ends up. But we do. That’s the difference. It’s our job to make every move count, and that’s what will matter most in the years to come.
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