Newsletter issue: #147
Read time: 1m 46s

Missed the announcement on LinkedIn? This newsletter is getting shorter. WAY shorter. More direct, more punchy, and actually readable week-in, week-out, in just 2 minutes. The full write-ups are still available (just scroll to the bottom).

There’s a war brewing in the creative world.

• On one side: traditional artists clutching their tablets.
• On the other: ChatGPT users churning out Ghibli-style images of themselves.

Tensions are through the f*cking roof.

​Studio Ghibli’s Hayao Miyazaki calls AI art “an insult to life itself”. Damn.

But why are artists so pissed? Three reasons:

1. It’s copying, not creating. AI models train on existing artwork without permission. Your decades of skill development? Absorbed and replicated in seconds.
2. Market flooding is real. When everyone with an internet connection can generate “art,” genuine craftsmanship drowns in a sea of AI-assisted content.
3. Someone’s making money off unpaid human work. Companies profit from creative work they didn’t make or pay for.

Well, AI isn’t going away because a bunch of artists are mad.

History lesson: Photographers once freaked about digital cameras. Traditional artists thought Photoshop would make them obsolete.

Spoiler alert: adaptation wins, resistance fails.

Remember Kodak? They invented digital photography then refused to pivot because they loved film too much. How’d that work out? (Narrator: Not well)

If your only value is execution, you should be worried.

But if you bring original thinking and unique perspectives, AI is just another tool that amplifies what you already do.

The real nightmare isn’t artists losing jobs—it’s the darker side of this tech.

AI-generated deepfakes are warping reality. Political propaganda is easier than ever to produce.

And most disturbing? Law enforcement is fighting an impossible battle against AI-generated child exploitation materials with no real victims to trace back to.

This isn’t just about art anymore. It’s about unchecked technology running wild.

So what’s a designer to do?

1. Develop a unique voice AI can’t replicate
2. Build skills that complement AI rather than compete with it
3. Learn to use the damn tools effectively
4. Double down on human connection (AI still sucks at emotion)

My personal take…

I’m excited to see the next generation of designers using AI.

When I started in design, I was making websites in Keynote (no joke!). Each tool evolution made room for focusing on what matters: creating thoughtful, user-centered experiences.

AI won’t replace designers who think deeply about problems. It’ll replace those who just push pixels without purpose.

While artists fight AI’s existence, the smarter play is figuring out how to make it your bitch.

Let the tools handle execution so you can focus on strategy, storytelling, and the uniquely human aspects of creation.

The future belongs to designers who see AI as a collaborator, not a competitor.

Creativity evolves. But it remains fundamentally human.

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Dying to hear your thoughts on this. Hit reply and let me know if you’re Team Human, Team AI, or somewhere in between.

Here’s detailed practical steps for each strategy, plus links to free OpenAI Academy courses, that will actually make you dangerous (in a good way).

Read the full article