The past few months have thrown the creative industry into chaos. OpenAI dropped its latest image model — and let’s be honest, it’s terrifyingly good.

Its consistency is uncanny. It finally understands typography (and it’s only going to get better). It now grasps layout, nuance, and those subtle details that make an output feel real — dangerously real.

It’s hands down the most impressive AI image tool I’ve seen. And it’s just one player in a field that’s getting crowded fast — where soon, everyone will offer similar capabilities. And that’s just today’s tech. Next month, we’ll hit another milestone. Then another.

Wherever you think this is going — we’re headed there.

Let’s not kid ourselves. The creative industry is undergoing a seismic shift. MidJourney, ChatGPT, Claude, and a dozen other tools have already transformed how we ideate, design, and create.

Scroll through social media, and you’ll see the usual extremes: One side screams about the “designer apocalypse,” while the other hypes AI like salvation. The truth, of course, lives in the uncomfortable middle.

Over the past months, I’ve been observing, thinking, and drawing my own conclusions about where design is heading.

This essay is my attempt to put those thoughts into words.

No fluff. No sugarcoating. Just straight talk.

Here’s what I see — in no particular order ↓

AI is here to stay

Resistance is pointless. Whether we like it or not, AI has arrived — and it’s going to reshape every industry. Not using AI in the future will be like refusing to use the internet. You can opt out… but good luck with that.

In this piece, I’ll dive deeper into how I believe AI will reshape the design industry.

The mediocre just got a promotion

AI is the best thing that’s ever happened to the creative middle class — designers who’ve always delivered the PowerPoint equivalent of a Holiday Inn buffet. Not bad. Not great. Just… present.

Now, those same designers are hitting a few buttons and producing work that looks like it has vision — at least at first glance.

Is that progress? For them, absolutely.

But let’s be clear: This isn’t exclusive. Every template-reliant, trend-following, safe-choice-making designer just got the same power-up. The rising tide lifts all mediocre boats — but the hierarchy stays intact. Only now, it’s dressed in shinier pixels.

Which brings me to the next point:

Winners will win more

This one stings, but it’s true: The best designers? They’re thriving — if they know how to use AI well.

I’ve spoken with studio-owning friends (many of them incredibly talented) who’ve already integrated AI into their workflows. They’re now 10x faster, 10x sharper in client pitches, and they’ve slashed their costs.

The winners are pulling ahead even faster — not because of AI alone, but because they’re weaving it into their already-excellent creative process.

Everyone’s a designer

Design has always had a subjectivity problem. Clients often can’t tell good from average, and many think they’re creatives too. We’ve all dealt with it — it’s easier to argue with a designer than with your electrician.

As tools got simpler, the “everyone’s a designer” issue got worse. AI? It’s the final nail. Now anyone can whip up something that looks passable and start debating the design team with mockups.

That’s frustrating, sure. But sometimes it’s also useful. Clients might become more engaged in the process, even bringing ideas that genuinely help. My optimistic take? AI could make clients better collaborators — if you know how to work with them.

The legacy tool masters are in trouble

Illustrators, 3D artists, photographers — anyone who built their career on mastering complex tools — are watching the ground shift beneath them.

Let’s be clear: It’s not the visionary illustrator with a signature style who’s in danger. It’s the technician who mechanically executes briefs. Not the 3D artist pushing creative limits, but the one who just knows which buttons to press. Not the photographer with a unique lens, but the one shooting generic product shots on white.

This erosion has been coming for years. Templates, stock assets, simplified tools — all part of the same wave. Remember when “I know Photoshop” was a career? That died a decade ago.

AI didn’t start the fire. It’s just pouring gasoline on it.

If AI can do it all, why hire a designer?

I see three reasons:

1. Clients lag behind.

   They won’t fully catch up for a few years. By the time they do, designers will have evolved too — offering value beyond mere production.

2. Clients don’t know what they want.

   Even with AI, most clients wouldn’t know what to prompt. They hire designers not just for execution, but for vision.

3. Smart clients outsource.

   Just because I can do my own bookkeeping doesn’t mean I should. Same with creative. That logic won’t change, AI or not.

The intelligent Creative Director survives

This might sound brutal:

Creative imagination is rare. Very rare.

Most people can’t envision what doesn’t exist. They need reference points. Blueprints. Most simply lack imagination. That’s not an insult — just reality.

Give the average person a tool that lets them generate any movie they can describe — and most wouldn’t even know where to begin. Not because they’re dumb. Because original vision is extraordinarily rare.

That’s why real Creative Directors — not inflated-title holders, but genuine creatives — will remain vital.

They can see hidden connections. They impose structure on chaos. They understand not just what looks good, but why it matters.

AI knows everything, but has lived nothing. It’s a tourist that read every guidebook, but never left the airport. It can mimic, but not originate. It lacks perspective.

That’s why the Creative Director survives.

Swimming in AI slop

As AI empowers the average user, we’re about to get flooded with content — most of it mediocre.

Anyone can now create “stuff.” And they will. Images. Videos. Copy. All of it. Constantly.

And hey, let people have fun. Let them make memes. But the result?

A tidal wave of slop.

I predict 90%+ of the internet will be AI junk — optimized to hell for algorithms. It’s SEO 2.0, and we’ve seen this movie before.

But here’s the upside: authenticity will stand out.

In a world of generic spam, the handwritten letter still matters.

We don’t yet know what the digital equivalent will be. But I promise, we’ll figure it out. And no — not everything made with AI is slop. Slop is content made only to feed algorithms. Lazy. Hollow. Intent-less.

But creatives with talent and integrity will use AI intentionally. Not to replace themselves — but to amplify their process.

What will define great designers?

Taste. And judgment.

That’s the final filter.

Everyone in design loves to talk about taste. But it’s always the folks with Vegas-casino portfolios who scream the loudest.

The truth? Taste can’t be faked.

Most think they have it. Few do. And almost nobody knows where they stand until the market tells them.

AI will give you exactly what you ask for. That’s a blessing if you have vision. A curse if you don’t.

Your ability to recognize what’s good — and why it works — will matter more than your ability to produce.

Because soon, everyone can produce.

Your fingerprint. Your lens.

When everyone has access to the same tools and references, the only thing left is perspective.

Your way of seeing.

Your lived experiences.

Your taste. That’s your only edge.

Designers without perspective are human Xerox machines — technically fine, totally forgettable.

They become noise.

And here’s the hard math:

If you have no unique POV, you’re competing with millions who now have entry-level competence thanks to AI.

But if you do? If your work reflects your DNA? Suddenly, your competition drops from millions to dozens. Clients who resonate with your lens will seek you out.

The question becomes:

Not “Can you design?”

But “Can you see like no one else?”

TL;DR – What now?

If you’ve made it this far, you already feel the shift happening.

I’m optimistic about the future of design — and the designer’s place in it. But we need to be honest.

We’re in a volatile transition. Things could go either way — depending on where you stand.

Here’s what I’d do to not just keep my job, but to grow:

1. Embrace AI — don’t worship it.

   Use it. Master it. But don’t become dependent. Let everyone else flood the world with junk. You use AI to reach places they can’t.

2. Double down on your vision.

   Who are you beyond your work? What’s your approach to solving problems? Why you in a world of clones?

3. Develop your taste and judgment.

4. Learn to tell the difference between good and “good enough.” Expose yourself to culture, architecture, film, literature. That’s how you train your eye.

Do that, and you’ll separate yourself from 90% of the crowd — AI or not.