I’ve always been curious about new technologies and market shifts, and lately, I keep hearing concerns from junior designers entering the industry and seasoned professionals alike—centering around that one word haunting every corner: AI.
Junior designers ask, Will AI take my job in five years? Is it even worth entering the market now? Meanwhile, more experienced professionals are wondering, How do I adapt? Will I stay relevant, or should I start considering a career shift?
There’s a lot of fear swirling around, but to me, this shift isn’t entirely new or surprising. Let me share my perspective.
A Bit of Context
I come from a highly visual background. My work in agencies and on B2C products often revolved around aesthetics: Does it look good? Will it sell? Can we see another version? ( after the 16th...) Because of this, I have deep empathy for everyone in design today. But even back then, I disagreed with the idea that visuals and output should be the sole focus of our work. The reality is, most people don’t care about design itself. They care about solving their problems, generating revenue, cutting costs, and removing blockers.
For this reason, design roles have always been at risk during restructuring or economic downturns. We’ve seen this for decades—when crises hit, marketing and design teams are often the first to face layoffs.
The AI Acceleration
AI isn’t creating a new risk; it’s speeding up an ongoing trend. The argument that “AI can’t understand design” or “You have to be a designer to know what’s good design” often comes from those who haven’t fully engaged with AI tools. The same skepticism surrounded AI image generators, yet today they are used in campaigns, tools like Canva, and even to kickstart creative workflows.
I use AI daily in my work. For example, I’ve built a GPT agent that formulates clear, structured acceptance criteria. I feed these criteria into a UI agent, which creates prototypes within seconds—ready for user testing. Tools like Figma, Vercel, Bolt, and Miro are evolving rapidly, allowing AI to tackle increasingly complex workflows.
While no tool is perfect, companies prioritize efficiency and cost savings over perfection. As a result, AI will inevitably take over many design tasks, particularly in deliverables like UI iterations or production-ready assets.
The Deeper Meaning of UX
Despite these shifts, it’s not all doom and gloom. If you’re passionate about the deeper aspects of UX—understanding problems, conducting research, and defining strategies—you’ll find your skills in greater demand. Tools like Figma might make visual design accessible to anyone by attaching design systems to AI, but someone still needs to guide these processes and ensure outcomes align with user and business goals.
This shift will force many visual designers who’ve transitioned into UX without comprehensive training to choose a path: specialize in creating AI-driven design systems or level up into true UX strategy roles.
So, should you pursue a UX role, or start thinking about a different career? It’s daunting, but this job market is no different from others that have seen upheaval. Banking and legal professions, for instance, have faced similar challenges. Let’s ask: Is it worth automating a repetitive task like peeling potatoes? The answer is yes. But automating a human-centric experience, like crafting a unique vacation? Not so much.
As long as your work involves interpreting human emotions and solving real problems—not just producing assets—you’ll remain relevant.
What You Should Focus On
From my experience mentoring and coaching designers, here’s what I recommend:
As a junior, learn to design! While change is coming, the industry still values visual design skills.
As a Senior Level up collaborative creation and facilitation skills. These are key to navigating complex projects with stakeholders and facilitating effective problem-solving. Complex communication and steering can't be automated. (right now)
Invest in facilitation training. Find in-person sessions or co-facilitate with experienced mentors to master these skills.
Deepen research capabilities. Learn to uncover and prioritize problems, connect your work to business outcomes, and understand revenue models.
Experiment with AI tools. Test their limits within your existing workflows and challenge yourself to adapt.
Develop business acumen. Take courses from experts like Teresa Torres or Melissa Perri to understand how design impacts revenue and strategy.
AI Adoption Will Vary
AI adoption isn’t uniform. While some companies experiment with AI during hack weeks, others are slow to adapt. Many people I talk to still don’t know how to use ChatGPT effectively, and some companies are stuck in old workflows, like using Photoshop for product design. Even 70%-80% of Ai projects fail in companies right now!
So, if you’re a dedicated UX/UI designer, your skills will still be needed for years, even if AI changes the landscape. Hiring practices remain slow to adapt, often emphasizing beautiful portfolios. But change is coming, and those prepared for it will thrive.
Final Thoughts
There’s a lot of UX work to be done. Even as big companies adopt AI solutions, countless others still need guidance and are still on a low ux maturity level (surprisingly). The nature of the work will change, but the opportunities will remain.
Let’s revisit this article in 5 or 10 years and see how things have evolved. If you’re connected with me, remind me—I’d love to reflect on where we’ve landed!
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