“AI offers options and inspiration, not a finished design.” That line from Gifty Mills captured the spirit of the whole evening — a session that explored the growing role of AI in design, and the tension between speed and intentionality.
AI is already reshaping how designers work. From generating ideas to accelerating research to producing visuals, tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Figma plugins are moving from novelty to daily workflow. But the conversation at Edition 6 quickly moved past the hype and into something more honest.
“You can't just accept the first output — probing deeper gives you better results. The creativity still has to come from me.” — Gifty Mills
From shortcut to superpower
The distinction Gifty drew was precise: “If you use it as-is, it's just a shortcut. But if you enhance and build on it, it becomes a superpower.” That shift — from passive use to active collaboration — is where the real value is. Most of us have caught ourselves pasting an AI output straight into a doc without questioning it. That's when it becomes a shortcut. When you push it, challenge it, and build on it, that's when something different becomes possible.
Powerful — but not perfect
Vanessa O'Hara Aidoo brought a leadership perspective: “Tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and ImageFX help my team and me generate reports, speed up research, and even create images — saving us time and giving structure to our work.” But she was clear-eyed about the limits: “AI isn't perfect. It only reflects the data it's trained on. That's why writing clear prompts and staying creative is critical.” It can scale your output. It can also scale your mistakes.
The risk of standing still
One of the most direct moments of the evening: “If we don't grow, that is when AI could end up replacing us.” Not the tool taking the job — the designer who stopped evolving making themselves irrelevant. It landed quietly. A few people nodded. A few went still. Continuous learning is no longer optional.
No fixed playbook — and that's fine
Maria Clara Rezende had the most freeing perspective of the night: “AI is evolving so quickly that nobody has figured out the final way to work with it — and I don't think we ever will.” Which means the advantage isn't in having the right answer. It's in staying curious, experimenting, and always asking: how can I take this further?
The real takeaway
AI is not the designer. You are. It can accelerate your work and expand your options — but it cannot replace your judgment, your creativity, or your understanding of the people you're designing for. The best designs don't come from prompts. They come from intentional thinking, refined by tools — not defined by them.
Compiled by the Chop, Chat & Connect team with assistance from AI. #AIinUX #UXGhana #ChopChatConnect