Community Expert

Question

AI is moving fast: are you feeling empowered or overwhelmed?

Forum|Forum|3 months ago
February 18, 2026
29 replies
1076 views

I recently compared Firefly, Gemini Nano, and FLUX 1 Kontext Pro inside Photoshop. One gives me ideas in seconds with different generations vs the time it takes to draw one sketch or composed one. It’s an incredible power, but I wonder if we’re losing our creative "gut feeling" in the process. Design has changed for many. In Photoshop, AI has turned the canvas into an interactive partner. As designers, we are no longer just creators; we are curators of a conversation.

We’ve never had this much power at our fingertips, but does speed equal mastery? I want to know: Does that speed make you feel like a creative powerhouse, or does it make you wonder who’s really in the driver’s seat?

Please drop a comment with your experience! ~ Love to hear how your process or thoughts has shifted—No right or wrong answers here—just your honest take!

Show previous replies

E

ExUSA

Legend

I’m feeling disgusted. AI is a garbage fire. Its rich techbros stealing creative work and destroying the environment so they can funnel more cash into their already-bulging pockets. AI is unreliable, its mostly being used by “artists” with neither taste nor talent, and its not something I want hijacking engineering and hardware resources. A plague on the whole thing.

creative explorer

Author

Community Expert

@ExUSA I finished working on a YouTube video on a feature on Illustrator Beta, and I was using an online tool called VidIQ, a YouTube channel app to help YouTube creators. Anyways, within this VidIQ app, they also have an AI thumbnail generator. I never used it before because I typically create my own thumbnails, but I was curious to say the least. It came up with two ideas, and I had to modified in Photoshop as one the images was incorrect; and I went back into VidIQ to see if they can improve on the thumbnail. I did took me a little time to re-work it in Photoshop, but the AI tool did change the design in seconds. As you can see in the thumbnail that might take a at least a couple of hours to start. And VidIQ and it’s AI did it faster than me.

Is AI all crap? Some are better than others. I think it does come down to how you prompt it. Would I be using AI in my design work all the time? Hard to say, I still love the design and printing it (love that freshly printed off the press, and the feel of it) versus making things all digital.

Could Ai ruin the world? Heck yes….have you NOT seen Terminator? Skynet? the Machines? Obviously, they had an inkling of this way back when, it just finally came out! Unavoidable? Likely not.

m

E

ExUSA

Legend

AI could be wonderful. It could be AMAZING. I fear that its just a cash grab at this point, does anyone think the Musk and Zuckerberg and Altman care one bit about anyone else? About quality? About responsibility?

adilarshad4756546

Participant

This is a really thoughtful question, and I think many of us are feeling that tension right now.

For me, AI definitely feels like a creative accelerator, but only when I already have a direction in mind. If I jump into AI too early, I notice my ideas become more reactive instead of intentional.

What’s changed the most is where the “skill” sits — it’s less about executing every detail and more about judgment, taste, and knowing when something actually works.

I don’t think the gut feeling is disappearing, but it does need more protection now. Taking a step back before using AI — even briefly — helps keep that original instinct alive.

creative explorer

Author

Community Expert

@adilarshad4756546 I completely agree that 'skill' has shifted toward judgment and taste. That’s exactly why I’m focusing more on functional specs and high-fi prototyping—AI can handle the 'heavy lifting' of generation, but I can decide if a design actually solves the user's problem. Keeping that 'intentionality' alive is the hardest part of the modern workflow.

m

adilarshad4756546

Participant

This is such a great discussion — honestly, I feel both empowered and a bit cautious at the same time.

AI tools in Photoshop (especially with Firefly and similar models) have definitely changed how I approach ideation. The speed is incredible — like having an endless brainstorming partner — but I’ve noticed that if I rely on it too early, my own creative direction gets weaker.

For me, the best balance has been starting with rough ideas or mental concepts first, then using AI to expand and refine. That way it feels like I’m still “driving,” not just selecting outputs.

And yeah, that “shopping for ideas” feeling is real — sometimes I even step away completely and reset with something simple (even quick browser games like <url removed by mod> just to refresh my mind 😄) before coming back with a clearer perspective.

In the end, I think AI doesn’t replace the gut feeling — it just tests how strong it really is.

creative explorer

Author

Community Expert

@adilarshad4756546 AI definitely does test us how strong our original vision is. If we don’t start with a clear intent, we’re just curators of a random gallery I guess. That 'reset' you do is a genius—sometimes you have to step away from the screen to actually see the work clearly again!

m

9blogging

Participant

I am also worried, Ai can take over graphic designer so I started blogging.

creative explorer

Author

Community Expert

@9blogging Blogging is a great way to get your creative ideas out. Although, listing your website here for no real reason but maybe create a backlink, could also mean being blacklisted as well. You may want to remove that link

m

jamesmite

Participating Frequently

Love this question — it really hits the core of what’s changing.

Using tools like Adobe Photoshop with AI features powered by Adobe Firefly, Gemini Nano, or FLUX.1 Kontext Pro definitely feels like having a creative accelerator. You can explore ten directions in the time it used to take to sketch one.

For me, speed doesn’t replace instinct it amplifies it. The “gut feeling” just shifts from drawing every line to choosing what feels right. The craft becomes less about execution and more about judgment, taste, and refinement.

That said, it’s easy to let the tool lead instead of your vision. If you’re not careful, you start reacting instead of directing.

So I’d say: speed doesn’t equal mastery but it does magnify it. The real question is whether we’re using AI

creative explorer

Author

Community Expert

@jamesmite I would think it’s likely 50% of Photoshop users are using AI in their workflow, and maybe those who are the baby boomers may be reluctant, and the gneration after that are warming up to it. I am assuming the Millennials and Gen Z are all over this. I was talking to a fellow who asked what I did for a living and he said his kid doesn’t want to be going to university while his son could be an influencer or YouTuber. And let’s be honest, that can be a miss in more ways than one!

For me, spitting out 15 versions of a design while I’m still on my first cup of coffee is a total game-changer. Now, instead of spending hours drawing or or composing in Photoshop, I’m spending hours just trying to pick the one that doesn't look like AI made it!

I probably use AI in about 20% of my workflow. In my writing for sure, except in this case. And sometimes, I even forget that too!

m

dannyrichards

Participant

I feel this a lot.

AI definitely feels empowering in terms of speed. The fact that you can spin up variations in seconds is wild. It’s like brainstorming with a machine that never gets tired. But at the same time, I sometimes wonder if I’m reacting more than creating — choosing between outputs instead of sitting with an idea long enough to let it get weird.

I don’t think we’re losing the “gut,” but I do think we have to protect it. If everything becomes instant, there’s less space for friction — and friction is where a lot of originality lives.

Weirdly, I think about this the same way I think about slower, intentional brands like [Removed] Their whole vibe feels grounded and simple, not rushed. That energy reminds me that just because we can move fast doesn’t mean we always should.

AI is an incredible partner. But I still want some blank-canvas silence in the process.

creative explorer

Author

Community Expert

@dannyrichards I guess it feels like I’m just 'shopping' for the best version of an idea rather than giving birth to it or until something looks cool. I agree on the blank-canvas silence—sometimes the loudest thing in the room is the AI trying to finish my sentences before I’ve even thought of the word.

m

dannyrichards

Participant

I feel that. It can start to feel like you’re browsing ideas instead of actually creating them. And yeah, the AI jumping in too early can drown out that quiet space where ideas slowly take shape.

Maybe the key is sitting with the blank canvas a bit longer before bringing AI into the mix — so it feels like collaboration, not replacement.

Tygabillionz

Participant

👻

Does that speed make you feel like a creative powerhouse, or does it make you wonder who’s really in the driver’s seat?

1766224178188.mp3

creative explorer

Author

Community Expert

@Tygabillionz not sure what to make of that question...hmmm

m

jamesmite

Participating Frequently

Absolutely, I can relate! AI tools like Firefly and Gemini Nano definitely speed up the ideation process, letting us explore many directions in seconds. For me, it feels like a creative amplifier rather than a replacement my gut feeling still guides which ideas to develop.

That said, there are moments when I pause and ask myself, “Am I creating, or is the AI leading?” It’s a balance: speed gives freedom, but mastery still comes from curating and refining the AI output with your own vision.

Curious to see how others navigate that tension too!

creative explorer

Author

Community Expert

@jamesmite for me, I still do thumbnails and sketches before I start to go to the next step of things. Then figure out the color combinations with the help of the client, check for accessibility if they work or not, and start to dive deeper. I just found that the last prospective gigs that I have with prospective clients, they really like the use of AI… and then finally took a look and see what the ‘hype’ was all about, and there are pros and cons. It might be a tool for ideas. But so many businesses are using it as a final concept. I also moderate a YouTube Community on Facebook, and so many community members love using AI for their thumbnails to the videos. The good thing is that YouTube is changing this and removing channels that are predominately using AI (not good for advertising!). But, yet, people are still using it.

Like many comments below, some say more or less say, bite the bullet, don’t use it or be left behind, be hungry, great tool for ideas and so on. so much to ponder and think about…

How do you AI? DO you just use it for the ideation process? Or do you use till the final concept?

m

jamesmite

Participating Frequently

Absolutely! AI in Photoshop is amazing for speeding up ideation, but it does raise questions about maintaining our creative intuition. I like thinking of it as a collaboration — the designer guides, curates, and refines, while AI offers new possibilities we might not have considered. It’s less about replacing creativity and more about expanding it.

creative explorer

Author

Community Expert

@jamesmite I love that perspective. 'Expanding' rather than 'replacing' is exactly the sweet spot we’re all aiming for. It really does feel like having a tireless brainstorming partner who never runs out of coffee! It definitely opens doors we might have otherwise missed. I was actually discussing the career side of this with a former student recently, and he put it bluntly: 'AI is now a tool. Know it and you will be positioned to be job market ready. Ignore it and look behind the times.' It makes me wonder—is the 'gut feeling' we’re worried about losing just being replaced by a new kind of technical intuition?

m

bagehany

Participant

For me, it’s both. The speed is exciting and helps me try ideas quickly.

But sometimes it feels like I’m moving too fast and not thinking deeply. In the end, I think it still depends on how we use it.

creative explorer

Author

Community Expert

@bagehany I think I am in the same boat as you. It’s almost like we have to be more disciplined now because it’s so easy. The temptation to just take the first cool thing the AI gives us is real! I’m trying to remind myself that just because it was fast doesn't mean it’s finished. It’s all about keeping that human 'gut check' alive in the middle of all the high-speed options. Like @Ged_Traynor said a first: “texting something into a prompt and asking AI to generate something is not Creative, you’re not actually creating something, AI is doing the creation, you’re just asking it to do it for you.”

m

Show more replies

Sign up

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Sign in to Adobe Community

To post, reply, or follow discussions, please sign in with your Adobe ID.

Scanning file for viruses.

This file cannot be downloaded