The Continued Uncertainty of AI
Authored by: Jay Archambeau
Perspective
As a designer, it has been both wildly interesting and nerve-wracking, even terrifying, to ride the general wave of design trends combined with business ebbs and flows.
I step back and realize quite honestly that I’ve survived and thrived through a lot of turmoil. I went from the uncertainty of the ’90s when I was very green, the dot-com boom and subsequent bust, when the promise of technology would certainly enhance and replace a lot of traditional print media. And it did. I saw the overnight transition from film-to-plate flip to direct-to-plate. And fonts? Well, things like TT (TrueType) and ITC (International Typeface Corporation) gave way to Adobe and Google. I rode the tech wave from simple website bulletin boards to fully integrated ecommerce; from simple HTML to JS-informed HTML; from <TABLES>s to <DIV>s; and from inline styles to CSS, to SASS, and every nuance in between.
I watched the valor of pre-press houses and color correction agencies and software (anyone remember Adobe TrapWise or PrintWise?) face the elimination of those services entirely. We went from FPO (For Position Only) to high-res included files. We went from “Hire a professional photographer and studio” to “Have an iPhone? Set up the shot by yourself.”
And now we have AI
Not “Adobe Illustrator,” but “Artificial Intelligence.”
And while it’s true that AI has made production faster and somewhat streamlined, I say “somewhat” because I still find myself correcting and over-correcting. “I asked you to knock the background out from the provided artwork. That was all that you were to do. Where did the addition of the motion graphics come from? I did not ask for you to add anything.”
I should have that reply saved as a reusable template for responses.
But I digress ...
Where is all of this headed? A recent former employer is now requiring all development work tickets to be accompanied by a completed questionnaire with answers to questions, such as: Did you use AI on this project? Y/N. If yes, please provide thorough details on how you used the tool and how it provided efficiency.
The keyword here: "tool"
AI, like any other piece of software, is just that: a tool. It is not a shortcut, it is not a measurement, and it is certainly not a replacement. It is a tool, and only a tool. It can be used to save time and effort, but if used improperly, it can also create more work and more effort. So, do we blame the craftsman or the tool when outcomes are not adequate?
Perhaps that’s a rhetorical question that I’ll leave you to answer.
For me, I know what the answer is. And I’m moving forward despite the circumstances.
All in all, the dust from all of this tug-o-war fight should be settling soon, I imagine. The big AI companies have finally come to terms with the fact that AI is not a reliable revenue generator. And although I’ve successfully used AI to improve my deliverables and my efficiencies (this rebranded/retooled website is evident of that entirely), I’ve also known it to slow me down and force me to re-do work.
But all of that aside, isn’t it rather ironic that the same folks who tout AI as the future, in so many words, are the same ones who are saying, “Not so fast, He-Man!”? It is still a work in progress, with a much dimmer hope that AI will be a true replacement for workers—mainly in regards to writers, developers, and creatives.
If that wasn’t enough to digest, there’s also the fact that AI cannot understand, let alone practice, empathy. Yet authentic empathy is at the heart of usability and, subsequently, accessibility compliance.
Closing the loop
I’ll close with a positive: AI has been and continues to be a welcomed companion in my day-to-day. And I’m grateful for it as the latest tool within our reach. It still fascinates me a bit and, in a weird sort of way, it’s been surprisingly supportive. Not only with actual design and development-related tasks, but also as an unsuspected colleague. And, yes, I am using that term loosely. Check out this exchange after approximately three months of interaction with the ongoing and a bit haphazard progress of the website you’re viewing right now:
The future
Looking forward, if there’s no ROI (Return on Investment) with cloud-based AI, then what? Will the cloud shut down? Doubtful. There is much too much other content, redundant systems, backups, and SaaS (Software as a Service) that runs directly on the cloud model. Will cloud AI continue to be a thing? Absolutely. It’s been rumored that it may shut down for a blip, but that too is doubtful, as companies who use and rely on AI will retool. And during this presumably brief “offline” time, the model may just shift from an integrated open-source model to a much more personal and refined solution. Meaning: everyone’s own personal AI on their shared personal devices (home computer, cell phone, fitness tracker, smartwatch, home security system, home entertainment system, etc.).
After all, the technical capabilities of our current smartphones, for example, are incredibly under-utilized as things stand currently. Are folks wondering why there is suddenly a huge surge of data farms and chip manufacturing plants eyeing real estate and water rights just about everywhere in the Continental US?
Time will tell
But not much time, mind you. I don’t think we’ll ever hear HAL say, “I’m sorry, Dave, I can’t do that,” because technology will undoubtedly find a way to complete the task. Maybe at the expense of ethics — but if we’re smart about it as a society, hopefully not.
Make good use of your new tool.
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