This week I studied the design industry and trends as a precursor to the module. In my opinion AI is likely to be one of the most important factors of change in the industry in the near future. Although many believe that AI will cause designers and those employed in the creative sector to lose jobs, it has also been used intuitively as a tool by early adopters, for example in idea generation and research. In my opinion it will not push designers out, but perhaps change the types of jobs available, and we must adapt our skills to accommodate the efficiency and new capabilities AI will give us.

Another consideration for designers who choose to use AI is the ethical aspect. I spoke with an animation student as part of this research about the ethical implications of using AI for creative work, who believed that AI should not be used to generate art, due to the depersonalisation of the craft, possibility of job loss, and its method of generation, using images taken from the internet, which he claimed was comparable to theft of art. In my view, there is no issue with using AI as a tool, but we must be careful to be transparent in providing information in all the uses of AI in a given project, and thoroughly check that the information the AI gives is not misinformed, in which case we would be spreading misinformation to our audience. Other than this, I believe it can be used to streamline the design process, and as a tool for assistance, rather than to create our work for us. I believe this difference in ethical opinion is due to the nature of design in comparison to more self-expressive crafts such as animation and fine art, who may be more averse to technology replicating the human ability to express feelings and thoughts, where as a designer, my priority lies more in solving problems and improving practical experiences, which AI can greatly assist in its process.

I also spoke to my father, a senior designer about this issue. As he uses AI in his own professional work for purposes such as creating visuals as inspiration, and making temporary fix-ups to show work-in-progress to a client, he agreed with me on my view of the issue.