During a presentation at last Saturday’s Master Open Day, the topic came up again: whether AI might make future designers obsolete. Perhaps it goes without saying, but it was one of the parents who asked the question. Today’s high school and university students don’t see AI as a threat, but as a helpful tool that makes life a lot easier. And that sentiment was echoed in the speaker’s reply: AI will simplify and speed up certain processes, but the engineer will always remain in charge of innovation.

The same goes for my own profession. During a workshop on AI with my communications colleagues, I once again found myself inspired by the possibilities. From simple travel plans for city trips tailored to different audiences, to converting data into visualizations, quickly analyzing large amounts of information, and producing slick videos and presentations—there’s so much I could use AI for. Yet I rarely apply it simply because it’s not part of my routine yet.

I’ll certainly use AI more and more in the future—after all, it makes my work faster and easier. On the other hand, I sometimes cringe at content that is clearly AI-generated: the slightly exaggerated tone, the endless emojis, the flat-looking visuals. Of course, that can be fixed by refining your prompts. But that takes time too.

For business writing, especially when I need to quickly create a news item or summarize a long text, or when I want to check style and spelling, AI is ideal. But for more personal pieces, I hardly use it—especially when my name is on it. It makes me feel like I’m reading someone else’s work. Besides, an AI-generated text takes away the fun of thinking for yourself and writing your way toward the solution. The AI version is probably smoother and error-free. Still, I’d rather choose less perfection and more personality, even if it takes some blood, sweat, and tears.

Annemarie van Malsen is a communications officer at TU/e’s Department of Industrial Design. The views expressed in this column are her own.

This article was translated using AI-assisted tools and reviewed by an editor.