No matter where you’ve been, it’s impossible to have missed the explosive growth of generative AI over the past two years. Consumers have never adopted a new technology this quickly, and its potential to transform industries in unexpected ways shouldn’t be underestimated.
When it comes to design, groundbreaking tools like DALL-E, Midjournery and Adobe Firefly have posed eye-opening – and at times confronting – questions about the future for creatives around the world.
Is generative AI a threat to professional designers, or will it serve as a tool to ultimately elevate human creativity? We surveyed just over 10,000 freelance designers to understand their attitudes and opinions on AI and design today, and to compare how these views have evolved over the past 12 months.
With input from designers in more than 135 countries, the data touches on topics including how designers are using generative AI in their work today; how their attitudes have shifted as the technology becomes increasingly mainstream; the financial impacts it has had, and the role they see generative AI playing in shaping the future of their careers and the design industry at large.
Although click-bait headlines often suggest that generative AI could ruin the industry, only a small number of designers have no interest in using the technology in their creative work.
In fact, 52% of freelance designers are already using generative AI tools (up from 39% in 2023) and another 24% want to start incorporating them in their creative process.
AI enhances simplicity, but not creativity.
AI adoption varies by generation, with Gen Z designers leading the way in using the technology. Usage decreases as age increases, but while Baby Boomers have the lowest current adoption rate (40%), 31% say they want to start using generative AI tools in their work – showing there is a desire to leverage the technology across age groups.
I use AI tools mostly for architectural visualizations. It is helpful in many phases of my work to upgrade my renders. It’s a great tool because it brings hand sketches back to the game. I can sketch by hand and get basic renders in a few minutes. The client gets an almost immediate render of the space, and I get a better picture of the client’s wishes. The quality of these renders is usually low (for now) but good enough for me to proceed with the design.”
When it comes to how designers are levering generative AI tools in their work, the most common ways are:
- Broad idea generation (56%)
- Writing copy (42%)
- Automating basic tasks (31%)
- Data analysis (23%)
There is no question that AI is having a significant impact on the creative industries, but there has been a positive shift in designers’ attitudes toward AI over the past 12 months.
Although there is an understandable uncertainty and anxiety surrounding AI, the majority of those surveyed (56%) are excited about generative AI and the future of the design industry.
In fact, following a period of rapid technological advancement over the past 12 months, a large proportion (38%) of freelance designers actually feel more optimistic about AI and the future of design now than they did a year ago. A smaller number of designers (24%) feel more concerned than they were before.
The most common reasons given for these changes in attitude are:
- Improved quality of generative AI tools and outputs (58%)
- Better understanding of the capabilities and limitations of AI (58%)
- Changes in client behavior (32%)
Additionally, 39% of designers believe that AI will positively impact their careers in the long run, compared to 29% who think it will have a negative impact on their design career.
The top reasons for designers expecting a positive outcome are that AI:
- Speeds up designers’ processes (81%)
- Has the potential to improve the creative process itself (69%)
- Allows designers to spend more time on fulfilling creative work (61%)
- Opens up new avenues of work (51%)
- Allows designers to spend more time on strategy (43%)
When you break this down by generation, a clear trend emerges: younger designers tend to have a more positive view of AI’s potential impact on their careers. This positive outlook declines with age, indicating that Gen Z designers, who have adopted AI earlier, are more optimistic about the future.
When asked about their total income from design this year, 58% of freelancers said they anticipate earning more than they did last year, with another 23% expecting to earn the same. 19% said that they thought they’d earn less than they did in the previous 12 months.
And while it’s not black and white, AI’s impact on freelancer earnings is also significant. 61% of designers say AI has impacted their income in 2024, up from just 45% in 2023. This shows that AI’s effect on earnings has grown in the past year, both positively and negatively.
More designers feel that AI has boosted their income than those who say it has caused them to lose money, although both groups have grown by a similar amount.
That being said, designers do expect this gap to widen. A massive 80% of designers believe that AI will affect their future income: 47% expect it to boost their earnings, while 33% worry it will lead to a loss of income. Overall, this suggests a positive outlook, but it’s not a straightforward story.
Again, there are generational differences. Where there is the highest adoption of generative AI, we see the most positive impact on current income: 44% of Gen Z designers believe AI has led to an increased income this year, compared to 27% of Millennials, 25% of Gen Z and 17% of Baby Boomers.
The age groups currently using AI the most in their work also expect it to have a better impact on their earnings in the future. However, designers of all ages anticipate that AI will enhance their income: 57% of Gen Z, 41% of Millennials, 38% of Gen X, and 36% of Baby Boomers believe that AI will lead to increased future earnings.
It’s not just their income that designers expect AI to impact either. 63% of designers think that generative AI will result in brand new roles existing in the creative industries.
AI doesn’t take your job, but the people who are using AI will take your job.
As a result, many designers view upskilling in this area as essential for keeping pace with industry changes and future-proofing their careers. Only 12% of designers feel that learning how to use generative AI effectively is unnecessary, strongly suggesting a creative future where human creativity and generative AI are complementary parts of the creative process.
After all, as Valeria S. points out, “Human creativity isn’t just about the end product. It’s about the process: the brainstorming, experimenting, and the accidents that lead to something amazing. AI can help with this process, but it can’t experience the process in the same way a human can. There’s a magic in human creativity that comes from our unique experiences, emotions, and perspectives.”
While there are clearly significant opportunities for AI and the design industry at large, alongside this rapid innovation, there are still serious challenges to face.
As a miracle of science and technology, AI can be a double-edged sword.
The majority of designers (76%) believe that there are still major ethical concerns to be resolved when it comes to generative AI, and a similar proportion (74%) think there should be stricter regulations around its development and use.
Designers’ biggest concerns are:
- Uncertainty around copyright and ownership of AI-generated images (69%)
- Plagiarism and work being used to train AI models without artists’ consent (64%)
- The speed of AI development without ethical guardrails (55%)
- Inherent bias in AI models (32%)
These are not insignificant issues for a group of professionals driven by purpose, not just a paycheck, and it remains to be seen how the excitement and enthusiasm for AI will align with these underlying concerns long term.
We are the teachers, AI is the student. As overwhelming as it feels, we as creative beings have obligations and responsibilities. The field of this is so wide and we have to do what we can to teach AI and ourselves how to use it and make it a tool not a threat.
View the survey data
Get insights into the impact of AI on the design community.
This data was collected by 99designs by Vista through two online surveys distributed via email and social media in June 2024 and May 2023. The surveys had more than 10,000 qualified freelance designer respondents from across 135 countries.
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