Portable

This article was originally published on Portable’s website.

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Designers can lead the way in the safe, ethical adoption of AI. Here’s how to get started.

As we approach the threshold of widespread adoption of AI tools in our workplaces and personal lives, we’re surrounded by constant headlines predicting that AI will either save us all or end humanity as we know it. Good designers are the best chance we have at safe, ethical adoption of AI.

Good designers hold the practices that champion human needs within complex systems, regularly embracing moments of complexity and ambiguity, and consistently advocating for ethical approaches. This article will show you why good designers are needed, what good designers need to know and how good designers can get started.

• A range of AI tools were used to augment the writing of this article. This article proposes that designers adopt a transparency framework for disclosing AI usage in their processes. Below, I provide an example of this framework in use, using this article as a case study.

Good designers already have what it takes to lead us through AI adoption.

While designers these days come with an endless array of job titles, there are a few critical qualities that all good designers have in common.

Good designers always maintain a balance between curiosity, empathy, and intuition. This mix may look different in various situations, but the essential ingredients are always present.

• Our innate curiosity drives us to ask profound questions, seek deeper meaning, challenge our biases, and experiment and learn from our failures. This natural curiosity makes designers ideal for exploring these new AI tools and raising critical questions about their functionality and impacts on us when we use them.
• Empathy is key in creating inviting and safe spaces for openly discussing challenges and ideas. This leads to profound insights into what motivates, challenges, and enables people. Good designers can wield empathy as they discover and advocate for the human needs that surface during interactions with AI tools.
• Our intuition enables us to develop unconventional ideas by leveraging our innate sense of what is most important to people. This quality makes skilled designers well-equipped to devise innovative and distinct strategies to harness the potential of AI without losing sight of the potential risks involved.

When you combine these qualities, you get someone who can be both a champion for experimentation and innovation and a reminder of the deeply human needs and qualities that must be considered and respected at every turn.

What good designers need to know and how they can translate this into action.

Now that we know why good designers already have what it takes to lead the world through the safe and ethical adoption of AI, the next step is knowing what good designers need to know and how to put this into action. Good designers should advocate for what is right, embrace accountability, and take the necessary steps to lead the way.

"We believe that AI, at its best, is a tool — a digital extension of our collective intellect. While it can process, analyse, and suggest, it is the human touch, the creativity, the understanding, and the empathy, that breathe life into data, turning it into actionable insights and impactful solutions."

– Portable’s internal AI policy

Know yourself and your practices first

Design is about understanding people. To be a good designer, you must understand yourself first. With the advent of AI, understanding yourself and your practices becomes even more critical. Rushing ahead to use AI tools without self-awareness is as irresponsible as not understanding yourself in a human-centred design project.

"It doesn't matter how good a designer you are if you don't know who is doing the designing."

– Melis Senova