Business · The Guardian Technology
Designers should not fear being replaced by AI, industry leaders say
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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.
Key facts
- The south-east remained the hub for design industries, accounting for £43.3bn of gross value added (GVA), a calculation of income from economic activity, compared with £3.1bn in the north-east
- Research funded by the council for its triennial overview, Design Economy 2026, showed that sectors like construction, services and manufacturing support 2.27m design jobs, and that there
- Earlier this year research, conducted by The King’s Institute for Artificial Intelligence and the Policy Institute, showed 57% of the public think AI will lead to widespread unemployment
- Its contribution was larger than the UK’s retail sector, worth £114bn, and nearly twice the size of the accommodation and food service industry, worth £70bn
Summary
With design and film production companies and manufacturers all adopting AI at an accelerating pace, industry bodies said the technology would be used to enhance the work of designers rather than replace them. Mat Hunter, the chief executive of the Design Council, a charity which champions the industry, said that while AI was increasingly being used by designers, “They are using it to add value”. He said: “The team are aware that technology always displaces people with new ways of working. Deborah Dawton, chief executive of the Design Business Council, said: “What protects great designers from AI is skill, experience, empathy and deep understanding of the sectors they operate in.