AI in Design: Helpful, Overrated, or Both?

AI shows up everywhere in creative workflows today—and sometimes it’s helpful, sometimes it’s distracting, and very often it’s misunderstood. For designers juggling many tools, projects, and expectations, the real question isn’t whether to use AI, but how to use it without losing your human judgment, authorship, and creative intent.

In this session, Michael Flarup shares a grounded, designer-first perspective on working with AI as part of a broader creative practice. Drawing from real projects, he explores where AI can support ideation, exploration, and momentum—and where human taste, decision-making, and craft still matter most. This is not a pitch for automation or replacement. It’s a practical look at using AI selectively and critically, alongside familiar design tools, to enhance creative thinking rather than shortcut it.

Key takeaways:

• Develop a realistic, designer-centered view of AI’s role in creative work
• Identify where AI helps ideation and exploration—and where it falls short
• Learn how to integrate AI output into polished, intentional design workflows
• Understand how to protect authorship, ethics, and personal style
• Gain language and perspective to have better conversations about AI at work