Artificial Intelligence: A New Reality for Visual Designers

The term “Artificial Intelligence” has burst into our lives in a disruptive way, deeply impacting all of us who are constantly learning, no matter what country we are in. Although this concept may seem modern, its roots go back to the 1950s, when Alan Turing proposed the need to measure the intelligence of machines through his famous Turing Test. It was John McCarthy who officially coined the term “Artificial Intelligence” in 1956. While these historical facts are fascinating, I don't want to dwell on them too much; I invite you to explore this history further, and tools like Perplexity can provide you with an excellent summary.

This article is an opportunity to share what I've learned, from my own experience. And if it can be of any use to you, I want to tell you how AI has become my best ally, a tool that, far from threatening me, has boosted my career as a Visual Designer.

The human brain and Super AI: An intriguing parallelism

Humans have always wanted to understand and control the world around us, and the brain is one of the keys to doing so. This incredible organ is the most complex object in the known universe. A curious fact: the human brain has about 100 billion neurons, and each one of them is connected with about 10 thousand more neurons. Incredible, right! and if you learn about Deep Learning you will find topics related to Neural Networks.

Now, when we hear about “Super AI”, we are referring to an artificial intellect that is far more advanced than the best human brain in virtually every field, from scientific creativity to social skills. If you already have a scene from “Terminator” in mind, you are not alone, but the reality of artificial intelligence is much deeper and more complex than any fiction.

The impact of AI on Visual Designers

Since 2022, I have asked myself many questions about the impact of language models like GPT chat on our reality. Were we asked if we wanted this change? Do we really have the power to stop or control this transformation? These doubts are valid, but there came a time when I realized that I cannot control what is beyond my reach. What I can control is my own adaptation as a Visual Designer, and that has been key.

As design professionals, we should keep a close eye on the key figures in this technological revolution: Sam Altman, Elon Musk, Satya Nadella, and Fei-Fei Li (known as the “mother of artificial intelligence”). It is also important to pay attention to those who advocate putting limits on artificial intelligence, such as Geoffrey Hinton. Only by understanding the big picture can we remain resilient and stay ahead of change.

AI can get out of control if not properly regulated, and many experts are calling for governments to take action. But why worry about something we can't change? What we can do is change our mindset and focus on what really matters: our soft skills and emotional intelligence. These competencies are what make us unique as humans, and this is where machines can't compete.

• Be positive and resilient: AI is not coming to take our jobs, but to empower our capabilities, making us more efficient and creative.

• Use AI as a tool: Instead of fearing it, we must learn to master it to leverage our careers. By knowing how it works and how it can enhance our creative processes, we become more complete professionals.

Continuous learning: The key to harnessing AI

How AI can be our ally?

Conclusion: Artificial intelligence, your best tool

In short, Artificial Intelligence is a reality that we cannot ignore, but neither should we fear it. As Visual Designers, we have the power to adapt and use these tools to make our work more efficient and creative. It's not about competing with machines, but complementing them.

By mastering our soft skills and continuing to learn about artificial intelligence, we can transform any challenge into an opportunity for growth. If you see AI as your ally, you will be prepared to face a future full of possibilities.

This year, I discovered Borja Castelar and his book Power Skills, and it was a turning point for me. It doesn't matter if you are a Visual Designer or belong to another sector, continuous learning is essential to adapt to this new era. Never stop absorbing knowledge, especially in areas related to AI. Speaking properly about terms such as machine learning, deep learning or generative AI is fundamental to be part of projects that integrate AI solutions.

Understanding that machine learning is just a subset of artificial intelligence and that deep learning is an even more advanced branch will allow you to move with ease in a world where long language models (LLM) are transforming entire industries.