Designers should not fear being replaced by AI, industry leaders say
Firms are more likely to use technology as ‘the intern in the office’ than as a replacement for skilled staff Professional designers should not feel “threatened” by the rapid growth of generative AI, according to business leaders, despite fears over job losses in the sector. With design and film production companies and manufacturers all adopting AI at an accelerating pace, industry bodies said…
Business leaders insist that professional designers should not fear being replaced by AI, despite growing concerns about job losses in the sector. Mat Hunter, CEO of the Design Council, emphasized that AI is being used to enhance designers' work rather than replace it. He stated that designers are leveraging the technology to add value to their projects.
Deborah Dawton, chief executive of the Design Business Association, echoed this sentiment, noting that skill, experience, empathy, and deep understanding of sectors are what make great designers immune to the threat of AI. Research conducted by The King's Institute for Artificial Intelligence and the Policy Institute found that 57% of the public believe AI will lead to widespread unemployment.
However, the Design Council's analysis revealed that the design sector, encompassing various industries, has grown by 40% between 2019 and the end of 2023, outpacing the economy's average expansion rate of 23%. The report also highlighted that sectors like construction, services, and manufacturing support 2.27 million design jobs, with a 15% increase in employment between 2020 and 2025.
Despite the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT and Claude, the employment figures suggest that their use has not yet significantly impacted the demand for workers with design skills. The industry has undergone similar transitions in the past, such as when computer-aided design software displaced draughtspeople. Modern workers can find new opportunities within the expanding design industry, as it contributes to technological advancements.
London, the design industry hub in the UK, generated £43.3 billion in gross value added (GVA), surpassing the retail sector's £114 billion and nearly double the accommodation and food service industry's £70 billion. However, a lack of skilled workers is a more pressing concern, with entries for design and technology GCSEs declining by 68% over the last decade.
Written by urgent.news from Guardian Business's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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