Design systems must encode machine-readable operational rules for AI integration¶
Insight: AI tools expose fundamental weaknesses in design systems. The critical gap is 'the hidden logic that governs how components actually behave, which currently lives nowhere a machine can read.' Success with AI integration requires pre-existing rigor in token discipline, component structures, and documentation that conveys operational rules, not just visual patterns.
Detail: Design systems that lack explicit operational rules cannot be effectively automated. One practitioner built a design system in 15 minutes using Figma MCP and Claude Code, but this speed only worked because of pre-existing foundational rigor. Automating poorly structured systems creates problems faster, not solutions.