I have been sitting on this one for a while.

When AI first hit my radar a couple of years ago, it started nagging at me. Like a small rock in your shoe. Just annoying enough to notice, but not quite enough to stop what you’re doing and deal with it. About a year ago, that rock turned into a shoe full of sharp gravel. So we jumped in. We began testing models, creating use cases, and working AI into our daily workflows.

I held back on writing about it because, frankly, there is still a ton of noise. The pace of change, the number of players, and the flood of tools and services can feel like a tidal wave of information. Ironically, AI is actually helpful in sorting out where things might be headed.

So I finally cracked a Celsius, kicked back, let my eyes roll up into my head and let the muse take over. The following are those “musings”

I have been thinking about this a lot, and I want to get it somewhere other than just in my head. More importantly, I want to share how we are actually using AI to create more value for our clients.

So if you are a business owner, designer, or a client this article is for me… and you.

I am not someone who publishes hot takes. Mostly because I am busy, and in my world, things are always changing. New tools, new trends, and new clients keep our business agile and adaptive. But as a responsible business owner, it is important to stay ahead of the curve. No one wants to be the horse and buggy company watching the first Model T go by and telling the horses, “That noisy, smoky thing will never catch on, girls.”

I also have a responsibility to my team and clients to understand what is coming, to test it early, and to think critically about how we adapt and lead through disruptive change.

Lately, several friends, family, and clients have asked the same question in different ways. They are asking,

Is AI going to take your job?

Some of that is a reflection of their own concerns about the businesses they run, and fair enough. The question has merit. So here is my not-so-hot, lukewarm take.

The short answer: Yes… and No.

AI models are getting better by the minute, and that includes in my field. If I project far enough into the future, I can easily imagine a world where the job we do today will likely look unrecognizable. Especially considering how far things have come in such a short time.

But that does not mean we will stop providing value. The How is going to change. The What ie. the strategy, the insight, the creative thinking, the results—those things still matter. Probably more than ever.

Do not get me wrong. Whether you are in the WALL·E camp or leaning more toward SKYNET, it would be a mistake to call AI anything but miraculous. The edge cases in the services we offer, the tasks that once seemed just out of reach, are becoming more common, more capable, and honestly, really good. And they are improving constantly. Tirelessly.

But there is a fundamental misunderstanding about how AI is actually being used in our field.

The Edge Cases Are Real (But Overhyped)

Social platforms love showing one-and-done design. Type a prompt, boom: logo, video, email. But most of what you’re seeing are edge cases. The algorithm promotes them because they grab attention, not because they reflect the real usable, quality work.

Again, there is amazing work out there, but most of those people were already amazing.

Meanwhile, the arguments against AI has been weak:

• “Without imagination it’s just a machine”
• “It’s terrible with layout”
• “It can’t design logos”
• “It hasn’t crossed the uncanny valley”

That’s like saying:

• “Why do we need a Model T when the horse works fine?”
• “Why would anyone need a computer at home?”
• “Why text when you can call?”
• “Why would I ever ride in someone else’s car”?

And in the time between my first draft and this post? Every one of those limitations has already improved.

Still, we are not being replaced.

What Clients Really Pay For

The real value we provide is what I think of as frictionless value. It integrates seamlessly into our clients’ workflows, delivering clarity and creative output without adding complexity.

The problem with most arguments against AI is they treat it like a threat to the work, rather than a tool to enhance the process. Many have not experienced disruption at this scale. They look at the model as a replacement for what they do instead of an extension of who they are. But we are creative and strategic problem solvers. We just happen to be really good at design and building websites. (With all due respect and humility 😉

History Rhymes: Gen X Perspective

I will spare you the “I drank from a hose” analogies but as a Gen X kid, I grew up with one foot in the analog world and one foot out. We watched the rise of the personal computer, the internet, and Moore’s Law as it reshaped everything. The last wave of innovation that touched every corner of life was the internet. Almost overnight the entire world changes. People were just as scared and skeptical then. But those innovations brought enormous value to those that worked to find opportunity. The reward far outweighed the cost.

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So before you go “1, 2, 3, TURN” and nuke your internal team or your friendly neighborhood design firm, it is worth considering some better reasons why the creative problem solver is still very much alive and needed.

Here are some of my predictions and thoughts with some tips and tricks for getting more out of your LLM:

Seven Reasons Creatives Are Not Going Anywhere

1. Commodification

When anyone can generate a logo, write an email, or produce a video with a prompt, execution becomes a commodity. A sharp knife does not make you a Michelin star chef. Knowing how to combine flavors, prep ingredients, and time each component perfectly is what makes a meal unforgettable. The same goes for creative work. What is no longer easy or easily faked is knowing what to create, WHY it matters, WHO it is for, and HOW to tie it to business outcomes. That is strategy. That is brand thinking. That is where real value lives—and a real sweet spot for my band of irreplaceables.

2. Signal gets buried in noise

As AI floods the world with content, standing out becomes harder. Take Liquid Death. Water, by every measurable standard, is a commodity. But a creative team came along and turned it into a cultural statement (see my previous article for a quick case study). Not because the water is different—but because the brand is. In an AI-powered world, identity, clarity, and bold creative direction will matter more than ever.

3. Robots need translators

When AI can do 80 percent of the work, most clients will not know which 80 percent to trust. And if they are running a business, they should not have to. That creates a need for translators—people who can steer the ship, vet the tools, interpret results, and apply judgment. We use AI every day, but we use it within a framework built on collective knowledge and real-world experience.

4. Brand is a human construct

AI can mimic patterns, but it cannot live values, feel emotion, or understand nuance. And that is what branding is built on. Helping clients build something real, emotionally resonant, and future-facing will matter even more as tools become more accessible. The authentic, non-scalable human experience will carry more weight than ever before.

5. Not all AI is created equal

AI is not a one size fits all solution. Different models excel at different things, and some are better suited to specific workflows. All AI may be good at something, but not every AI is good for everything. This is a new toolset. Learning it, mastering it, and using it efficiently takes time, context, and craft.

6. The Echo Chamber Effect

AI is just another arrow in the creative quiver—not a replacement for the person pulling it. Clients come to creatives for interpretation, vision, and taste. AI reflects what it’s fed. It amplifies what’s already there – good or bad, weak or strong – so the results depend entirely on the person behind the tool.

7. Design Demand Grows with Tech

If history rhymes, we can make a safe bet: we’re going to need more designers, not less.  Every major tech shift—print, web, mobile—has created more surfaces, more products, and more complexity to design for. AI is no different. The canvas just got bigger.

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So how are we using AI?

We have built AI into the way we work, quietly and effectively.

Let’s take a brand development project.

Imagine our team’s total capacity as 100 points. Before AI, at least 50 of those points (50%) went into invisible but critical tasks, like administrative, communication, competitive research etc.

These are essential to success, time consuming, and often opaque to clients. They are fundamentally important to doing what we do well, but from the client perspective, they are assigned very little perceived value. Even the time we spend educating clients so they understand why these steps matter is often treated as a sunken cost.

The result: less time for exploration, iteration, and deep creative thinking ie an optimum result

Now, with AI integrated into our workflows, that invisible 50% has been reduced to 20%. Tasks happen faster, more accurately, and with less cognitive load.

That reclaimed time? It goes right back into what we do best, add more cowbell and make hit records.

The hybrid use of AI as a partner has made the work stronger. It has helped us reduce the interest that accrues on the creative principle before the project even begins.

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Want to get up to snuff?

This is a decent place to start and will work if you are a business owner, professional or just curious.

Prompt Template: “I want you to act as a senior expert in [your field or industry]. I will describe a task, challenge, or goal I am working on, and I want you to help me think through it step by step. Ask clarifying questions if needed, then walk me through:

1. What you would need to know to give an excellent answer
2. The key variables or blind spots I might be missing
3. A structured approach or set of recommendations
4. Options or variations based on different goals or constraints

Please tailor your advice to reflect best practices in [insert specific context, e.g., finance, hiring, manufacturing, real estate, product design, etc.]. Keep the tone clear and direct, but not overly formal. If anything I say is unclear, ask me to clarify before continuing.”

Here are some additional nuggets to help you along.

1. Pick a model and stick with it for a bit

There are several great models out there: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok and others. They all have slightly different strengths, but your skill with them improves the more you use them. Just like any partnership, consistency helps you learn how they think and how best communicate.

2. Start with something you care about

Work on a topic you love and already know well, even if it is just a hobby. I make this distinction for a couple of reasons: you will bring more nuanced input, you will be able to judge the quality of the output more accurately, and you will build a habit of using your chosen model in a more technical, targeted way. You will start to see what works and more importantly what doesn’t. This medium may be the one place where you can be wrong infinitely and there is not going to be any judgment, just learning.

3. Don’t stop at the first answer

A good answer is the beginning. Use it to think more deeply, test your assumptions, and then ask better questions. The goal is not to get one response, it’s to open up a conversation that helps you see new angles, and create things that may not have been possible before.

4. Start simple, then layer

A good starting prompt is a sentence, not a paragraph, work your way up. Add structure, tone, formatting, and context as you go. This will help you shape the results more intentionally and reduces garbage.

5. Ask what it needs from you

Literally ask the model: “What ten things do you need to know to give me an excellent answer?” You will often get a helpful scaffolding or checklist that you can fill in, this immediately improves the quality of the response.

6. Assign the model a role

Tell it who it is. “You are a Michelin star chef.” “You are a world-class hedge fund manager.” “You are the world’s most respected landscape designer.” This sets the tone, style, and depth of its answers. Then ask for recommendations, outlines, comparisons, or creative input from that persona.

7. Ask it: “What am I missing?”

This one is simple but powerful. Ask the model to look at your thinking, strategy, or plan and tell you what you might be overlooking. This opens up blind spots you didn’t know were there and often leads to better, more complete solutions.

I hope you have enjoyed my manifesto…

Final Thought:

AI is not going to make my field obsolete, It is going to make it better.

AI will lower the barrier to entry for less experienced designers. I would not be surprised to see a lot of really bad design marching to the meat grinder to the tune of “Another Brick In The Wall” in the near future. But simultaneously it will raise the bar for professionals. Those who know how to wield AI will go further, faster. Skill and intention still matter, and will matter more than ever.

Not because it replaces the work itself, but because it amplifies what we are good at. It was tested, adopted, and integrated with the intention to serve clients better and build on a foundation of experience and a proven track record of strong outcomes.

The value of what we do has never just been about pixels, code, or color palettes. It has always been about strategically solving problems. Communicating ideas. Building brands that matter.

AI does not change that. It sharpens it.

I do not believe we are alone in this, I see the same uniquely human skill sets in our clients, partners and in my team.

So, Domo Arigato Mr. Roboto! No, we are not going anywhere. We are just getting better. The Model T has arrived, and we are driving, feel free to jump in and enjoy this wild ride.

(but picture a really cool model t, with rockets with a horse riding in it… 😉

Cheers!

– Jay