Why AI isn't threatening the heart of ID work just yet...

A fear is rippling through the creative professions, and for those whose deliverables are entirely digital, maybe justifiably so.  For those of us tasked with creating physical objects, I don't believe there's reason to panic just yet.

I'm first to acknowledge what AI can do really well (in the right hands) - visual concept generation.  No one explains better than my colleague Hector Rodriguez that we as IDs with real world experience are the ones best suited to driving these apps for spectacular visual concepts.

And if our work ended with a visual concept, there may be concern - but our value only begins there...and to my knowledge there's no AI yet for the significant remaining journey from visual concept to market success:

 > What specific needs does this concept address, and how is the state of the art being advanced by this particular execution?

 > What is your brand's reason for being, and how does this design represent that in physical form?

 > What lessons from previous commercial successes and failures are embodied in this concept?

 > Is this ergonomically appropriate for the full range of the target demographic?

 > Can it be manufactured economically, sustainably, and/or modularly to maximize variants with minimal tooling?

 > Is there appropriate structural integrity / range of motion / ground clearance / inherent stability / intuitive ease-of-use?

Lest some middle manager think they can save a few bucks replacing an ID with an app, perhaps this list of questions may suggest otherwise.

Now, my empathy extends to our creative colleagues for whom pixels are their final deliverable, as they have more pressing existential concerns (video production, ouch.) 

But for us with the responsibility to create safe, functional, and beautiful physical objects, I don't think we're soon to be replaced by a bot.

(Of course at this rate of change, I hope I'm not eating my words next month.)

What do you think - are the concerns justified?