AI is moving fast. Faster than anyone in digital expected. Here’s what that means for designers, developers, and the next generation of creatives.
There’s a question buzzing through every design Slack, dev Discord, and digital agency group chat right now: "Is AI here to replace us, or is it here to supercharge what we do?"
Let’s not sugarcoat it. Things are moving fast. One minute we’re testing Figma’s new autocomplete for UI components, the next we’re watching GPT-4 generate an entire React site from a napkin sketch. And it’s not just code. AI is writing UX copy, generating SEO strategies, optimising design systems, and running accessibility audits in seconds.
If you’ve worked in digital for more than five minutes, you’ve probably felt the mix of amazement and anxiety. This tech isn’t coming. It’s already in the room.
There’s no denying AI is multiplying output. One designer can now do the work of three. Same for developers. Complex front ends that used to take a week can be scaffolded in a day with AI-assisted coding.
You still need to know what you’re doing, but AI handles the heavy lifting. It’s like giving a junior designer ten years of intuition. Or giving a copywriter ten hands and a photographic memory.
It’s not magic. But it’s close.
That’s the next question. Speed is great, but is the work better?
Sometimes, yes. AI can spot inconsistencies in a design system faster than your eye ever will. It can stress-test a content strategy against SEO trends in five seconds. It can run experiments on button colours, layout variations, and copy tweaks while you’re in the shower.
But often, it’s just good enough. Not inspired. Not strategic. Not bold.
Which means the role of the designer or developer shifts. It’s less about doing the work and more about directing it. Curating. Interrogating. Editing.
That’s not a bad thing. But it is different.
Here’s where things get uncomfortable.
For years, junior roles in digital were the gateway. You’d start with the boring stuff like slicing assets, fixing bugs, or copy-pasting content into a CMS, and slowly build your chops. The more senior creatives and developers handled the strategy and problem-solving.
Now? The boring stuff is AI’s dream job. That gateway is closing. Fast.
It’s not that businesses don’t want to hire juniors. It’s just that the economics are shifting. When AI can handle 70% of what a junior would do, faster and with fewer mistakes, how do you justify the salary? How do you teach the craft without the grunt work?
It’s a big problem. One we’re all going to have to solve if we want talent pipelines to survive.
Here’s the optimistic take: AI won’t take your job. But someone using AI will.
That means the best designers and developers in the next 12 months won’t be the ones who resist AI. They’ll be the ones who know how to wield it. Prompt engineering is a skill now. So is being able to tell when the AI’s output is just okay… and when it’s secretly brilliant.
The craft still matters. But the pace and scope of what one person can do has exploded.
The smart move isn’t to fight that. It’s to lean in and find the edge where your experience and AI’s horsepower make you unstoppable.
There’s a trend going around at the moment, simply upload an image of yourself, and AI turns you into an action figure.
Not a sketch. A photorealistic render of you as a superhero.
It’s funny and cool. But also telling. A few years ago this would’ve taken a 3D team and a week of work. Now? One click.
It’s a joke, but also a glimpse into what’s coming. A single photo becomes a hyper-detailed 3D model.
A prompt becomes a homepage. A napkin sketch becomes a launch-ready MVP. This isn’t just a shift in tools. It’s a shift in time, skill, and expectation.
Before we go, a small confession. This post?
It was written entirely by ChatGPT-4. One single prompt.
No editing. No revisions. No human polish.
Just a test.
Does that change how you feel about what you just read? Maybe that’s the real point.
