Artificial intelligence: What future for design professions?

Having barely arrived in the creative fields, AI is already beginning to disrupt designers' practices. In just a few months, new artificial intelligence tools for generating images from text have sparked curiosity and impressed with their results. Dall-E , developed by the American company OpenAI, and MidJourney , available on the Discord messaging platform, have enjoyed meteoric success. Massive output, surprisingly high-quality images, professional technique, speed… AI accomplishes in seconds what a professional would take several days to complete. These tools are generating as much enthusiasm as concern.

Etienne Mineur, designer and co-founder of Volumiques publishing, which produces interactive books and games, is keenly interested in these thought-provoking tools. During an educational conference at Intuit Lab Paris, he enlightened students on the uses of these AIs, their advantages as well as their drawbacks. How can a designer effectively harness AI? “It opens up avenues we wouldn't have considered, it unlocks possibilities,” explains Mineur, referring to this tool that allows for the rapid creation of style boards and the unexpected emergence of creative ideas.

Intuit Lab has numerous campuses in France and around the world. From a design school in Marseille to India and Brazil, Intuit Lab can take you on a journey while teaching you the skills of design. So don't hesitate any longer and join the adventure.

“The key is to guide the AI ​​to arrive at an interesting image at a specific point . Otherwise, it's too easy; it's just a constant stream of images,” he adds. The production phase is reduced, freeing up more time for image selection. While AI-generated images already have a “finished” look, the challenge will also be to educate users about their role in the creative process. Unlike non-professionals who will use these images without retouching, professionals will need to bring their own aesthetic to them , using them in their own way. AI becomes just another tool.

“You have to learn how to train it. You can do that by honing your skills, developing a visual culture, and acquiring references. Designers, graphic artists, and art directors will have to educate themselves even more to be able to communicate with a machine that has all the references , and then make informed decisions. It's really like a recipe,” explains Etienne Mineur, for whom AI will push professionals to be more original in order to stand out.

To avoid falling into the trap of standardization imposed by AI, professionals will have to "move back and forth between AI and their traditional practices" : "If you dive headfirst into AI, you risk falling into standardization. It's like in cooking, where you can make a dish that looks beautiful but is surprisingly underwhelming when you taste it. That's the bluffing aspect of AI." The algorithmic biases of AI are also risks that must be mitigated. The tool's worldview is based on the algorithms' data, and it's not surprising that it reflects a highly stereotypical, prejudiced image of our society while exaggerating its problems.

“AI can evoke emotion, but we project it onto it. AI simulates. Things like empathy and common sense—it doesn't possess them . We'll have to focus on areas where it's less adept than we are,” he asserts regarding this tool that will gradually be integrated into practices. While AI intervenes at the beginning of the production stages, it is nonetheless a source of concern for the professions involved in these phases.

To envision the future with these artificial intelligence tools, schools have a role to play. " It's up to the students to imagine the future and new practices. Often, more experienced designers are less interested in AI and don't want to try it. In schools, students will have the time to experiment, without the constraints of clients, budgets, and deadlines." The ball is in the students' court.