The Role of AI in Graphic Design: Game-Changer or Creativity Crusher?

We’ve all seen the ChatGPT dolls peppered across socials in the last few weeks and by now, everyone knows a little, or a lot, about Artificial Intelligence (AI) - it’s been a major buzz word for a while and will remain so in 2025.

Justly so, as it’s been a transformative tool in many industries, the creative field being no exception with 83% of creatives actively using it.

However, with many turning to online communities to criticise, debate and ruminate on AI in graphic design, what role is it playing within the industry?

How AI is positively shaping graphic design

Automating repetitive tasks

Machine learning is having a positive impact on the creative industry in many respects. Whether we like it or not, creatives are now automating repetitive processes such as retouching and recolouring using new AI tools, specifically from Adobe. Therefore, leaving more time for thought taxing tasks like ideation and curation.

This, in turn, enables creatives to, in theory, generate more imaginative responses to briefs. It’s also undeniably fun to watch the screen magically turn into something else or do just what you needed it to.

Although there were pre-existing ways to solve these problems, such as content aware fill - a tool that automatically fills selected areas of an image with similar content from surrounding areas - many of them we’re a little clunky and felt outdated in the productivity focused landscape.

But perhaps it’s not such a great thing creatives are losing touch with core skills. After all, these help us understand how we can problem solve and create.

Automating repetitive tasks

AI in graphic design crosses a plethora of fields including UX/UI. Common problems many UX designers face are accessibility and usability. With an increased knowledge and understanding of how to avoid issues facing user-friendliness, it’s now second nature for many designers to implement this within their work.

However, this doesn’t mean AI can’t make it easier. With AI powered heat maps and auto-generated alt text, both accessibility and user experience can be vastly improved relatively easily, much like the eradication of repetitive tasks.

Generating design concepts

Finally (but by no means definitively) designers and the like can easily curate and generate mock ups of their creative vision.

You simply need to learn the art of prompt writing. By inputting it into the correct machine, creatives can produce something with very little effort and even less amount of time. Where scamps once sufficed, now AI can moderately flex its uncanny valley muscles.

But of course, there are several factors the success of this depends on. For example, how well is the prompt written, what programme is being used and are you looking for a very specific niche outcome?

It should also be noted that AI imagery shouldn’t really be replacing the final product, unless there is a good enough reason to be doing so such as experimental or cost factors. We’ve heard this argument many times, but AI should be the tool, a starting point, something to master, not be mastered by.

How AI is negatively shaping graphic design

Using it for the wrong reasons

As we know, AI can aid us in our working lives. But many are using it for the wrong reasons in the wrong way. For example:

Henn-na Hotel – Tokyo: The world’s first robot hotel featuring a 243-strong robotic workforce who then subsequently fired half of them due to customer reviews.

Although this example isn’t directly related to the creative industry, we can see AI is not the right option for every project. Some studies suggest that AI has a negative impact on social media engagement whilst the UK Government documents growing pessimistic attitude towards AI. Important stances to consider when delivering ideas to clients

Ethical considerations

Another issue AI in graphic design brings is its ethicality. Although there are many programmes who use materials they have a license to, it’s still not legislated and regulated as much as many creatives wish. Many machine learning programmes don’t specify where the images they reference come from, leaving copy right issues up for question.

While the government launched a consultation last year to give clarity on copyright laws to creative and AI industries The Creative Rights in AI Coalition urge for stronger and quicker action.

"While members are still digesting the details of the consultation, rights holders do not support the new exception to copyright proposed. In fact, rights holders consider that the priority should be to ensure that current copyright laws are respected and enforceable.”

You can read the government press release here.

Maintaining human creativity

36% of creatives believe AI capabilities are overhyped, and whilst they can be fun to play with, it’s clear to see many creatives want to hold their autonomy on creativity. And understandably.

“I want AI to do my laundry and dishes so that I can do art and writing, not for AI to do my art and writing so that I can do my dishes” – Joanna Maciejewska – Author and videogame enthusiast

Although some have argued they still wish to do the mundane in order to maintain serendipity and even resilience, many agree with Maciejewska fearing that AI is taking over and removing the creative process. We’ve seen floods of AI generated artists and many using ChatGPT to write copy. Is this how we want the creative landscape to be filled, with AI’s ability? But, if we can capture more time to create, draw, explore and learn our craft, why wouldn’t we?

Environmental impact

Lastly, and not often seen as a direct result or impact of the creative industry, environmental impact should have a big part to play in decisions around AI. A simple 1000 word email generated on ChatGPT requires 1 bottles worth of water, whereas text-to-image generation can require up to a full smartphone charge. Even more shockingly, AI like ChatGPT can use double the amount of electricity as Norwich uses in a year. Food for thought given the current climate.