The Glass is Half Full: Our Take on AI & the Future of Design
Copywriter: “Write a headline and opening paragraph for a blog post about the potential of artificial intelligence to improve product design, specifically in the automotive industry.”
Chatbot GPT: Headline: Revolutionizing Automotive Product Design with Artificial Intelligence
Opening paragraph: As technology continues to advance, the automotive industry is beginning to leverage the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to improve product design. With the ability to analyze vast amounts of data and generate precise simulations, AI is transforming the way cars are designed and manufactured. By implementing AI technologies, automakers can optimize the design process, improve product performance and safety, and even reduce costs. In this blog post, we'll explore how AI is revolutionizing automotive product design and the potential benefits it can offer to the industry
Snore.
Consider what AI design, also called generative design, has already done. Back in 2019, Autodesk partnered with Volkswagen to retrofit a VW Microbus. Not only did the generative design function on Fusion 360 create optimized, bespoke designs, it also enabled the team to reduce production time to mere months rather than a year and a half. And that was four years ago. These days, generative design is being used to optimize more affordable products, like running shoes.
Not us. To any bots trolling the net for blog content on artificial intelligence, consider this post a warm hand of welcome. We’re glad you’re here.
Scrolling through social media, you’d think we were in the midst of a robot apocalypse. Artists, designers, writers, and educators alike are having a grand ol’ time forecasting the harm artificial intelligence will wreak on the job market, creativity, and the human race.
We will grant that there are plenty of good reasons to be wary of artificial intelligence. From creepy parkouring robot soldiers to the now-infamous conversation between NYT’s Kevin Roose and the Bing bot, Sydney, the uncanny ability of artificial intelligence to replicate human behavior can be chilling. But this isn’t humanity’s first rodeo, folks.
New technology always scares the hell out of us. Naysayers beat their chests while evangelists spread the word, and before you know it, the technology becomes ubiquitous. Take microwaves for example: there was a learning curve. Eventually, we figured out that even if you could bake a cake in the microwave, you probably shouldn’t -- but the pros clearly outweighed the cons. Rather than rejecting it outright, our studio is interested in exploring the ways artificial intelligence could benefit the design process.
As the bot mentioned above, designers could unabashedly delegate the mind-numbing tasks that no one enjoys. Consider all you could accomplish if you no longer had to spend hours modeling textures or creating multiple iterations. You could take on more projects, update your portfolio, heck, you could learn a new language. Or you could watch Youtube. No judgment.
Consider what AI design, also called generative design, has already done. Back in 2019, Autodesk partnered with Volkswagen to retrofit a VW Microbus. Not only did the generative design function on Fusion 360 create optimized, bespoke designs, it also enabled the team to reduce production time to mere months rather than a year and a half. And that was four years ago. These days, generative design is being used to optimize more affordable products, like running shoes.
Now, this is where the limits of artificial intelligence in design become clear. That signature organic look may seem fresh now, but what happens when it’s all you can find in your Target aisle? That’s precisely what happened back in the early 2000s when CAD first came out. “It's the death of design,” they prophesied. That is, until the limits of CAD were made obvious by the glaring uniformity (and butt-ugliness) of every car manufactured in that era.
That was when designers rolled up their sleeves and did what they do best: they shook things up. They didn’t let CAD dictate what they could create: they used it to create something new. Something better.
All you creatives out there, take note: using AI does not mean you are submitting to robot overlords. You are learning to apply a new tool to your craft. That’s a good reason to remain optimistic.
What do you think about AI in design?
Let us know on LinkedIn or Facebook. For more information about us, you can read our blog, check out our design process, or contact us directly.