There is no denying the existence of AI and the speed at which it is adapting, thus, instead of working against it, we chose to seize the opportunities and work with it; exploring how this incredible tool can be harnessed to not only increase the speed of new product development but also produce better designed products.

In a previous article of ours, AI in the Workplace, we emphasised that Artificial Intelligence cannot replace the human interaction and quality customer service, that is a significant part of what our team provide our customers. Understanding our clients needs and motivations driving their product development journey, cannot be obtained successfully by a machine. Yet, AI can boost productivity and output, innovation and efficiency with the use of the many readily available platforms out there. It is an exciting period of transition, seeing how the world of work adapts to incorporating these powerful tools into their day-to-day norms.

However, we are indeed navigating with caution. AI is ultimately advanced technology capable of performing complex tasks, but it learns how to do so via data. Data that is widely available online -it has to obtain its sources from somewhere! Therefore, the question of ethics, Intellectual Property and originality is something we are very mindful of in our industry. We do not assume that what the computer generates is unique content, in fact quite the contrary. ITERATE have been using various platforms to enhance ideas and assist with early design processes, yet our team of specialist designers continue to utilise their own skills, experience and knowledge to produce their own content. Afterall, it’s why they chose a career in design.

In addition to this, the speed that Artificial Intelligence is adapting, has meant there are currently limited universal regulations and policies around its use. This has also encouraged us to proceed carefully, accompanied by complicated questions that do not currently have answers; Who owns the IP of the images provided by the AI? How reliable are the outputs? Are we aware of the unintentional biases being created by the AI?

With these above concerns in mind, ITERATE are maintaining full control over each of our designs and make use of AI platforms to simply assist with design processes. Incorporating it as a supportive tool, much like that of CAD, enables us to stay on trend and remain competitive, but doing so in an ethical, balanced manner.

If you are interested in understanding how you can implement AI tools within your product development workflows, please do get in touch, we would love to hear your views and explore this opportunity together.