AI design tools risk eroding foundational craft skills — the deskilling curve¶
Insight: According to Eidos Design, AI design tools are eroding foundational craft skills, particularly among newer practitioners. Drawing on NASA research about pilot deskilling under automation, the article argues that designers who rely on AI for layout, spacing, and typographic decisions skip the repetitive practice that builds visual judgment — creating a generation that cannot make independent design decisions when needed.
Detail: The article opens with an anecdote about design graduates whose portfolios look polished but lack reasoned decision-making: "Claude did it, and it looked right." The FAA responded to pilot deskilling by mandating regular hand-flying practice. Recommended protective practices for designers include sketching by hand before opening design tools, learning grid systems and typographic principles, articulating design decisions verbally, and working deliberately within constraints.
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Related: existing entry "AI coding assistants risk skill atrophy" in external/ai-assisted-design.md — COMPLEMENTS