Design

What CEOs Misunderstand About Design?

Common Misconceptions and How to Advocate for Real Impact

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In the last month, I spoke with more than 50 designers (and design leaders) on LinkedIn, about how they think AI would impact or affect design and design careers in the future.

Where a majority of the designers said that they were not using AI actively in their workflows, and that Figma was the primary tool for them at the moment, there were a significant number of freelancers who admitted that AI has made things easy for them and now they able to complete more projects in less time.

But what struck the most with me was not the response of designers or freelancers, but in particular, three conversations with design leaders in the industry, who had more than 10–15 years of experience so far, and what they told me was something that we have been overlooking for months and years now.

They told me that AI may change how designers work, but that stuff is for mid-level or even senior designers to figure out. What design leadership and director level people are worried about is — AI has started eliminating design as a function from many organizations.

Not literally at this point, but it will and there is a high chance why. According to them, most AI tools…