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

Forum|Forum|6 months ago
February 18, 2026
95 replies
1275 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!

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Chris 486

Community Expert

There is a separation that should always be distinguished between productivity and creativity. AI’s main driving point is productivity. You can certainly get very polished results quickly and that may be all you need for your productivity. From where I see AI being used in industry, this is very attractive for explores of the technology because it’s new and exciting, and for the “I’ll know it when I see it” crowd as they get quickly wowed by high quality visuals and don’t need to think it through further. That might the solution you genuinely need - something quick and fast for your goal to get your point across.

But there still needs a person to oversee, and pull the brakes to have deep, slow thinking on “does this actually make sense”, “What are we actually trying to solve”. It’s easily to get swept up in how fast you can produce and forget things like, your core strategy, abstract thinking, et al. AI does always work best as acting as your local intern to help idea generation, getting tasks done faster etc.

The technology needs to fit in a loop that starts and ends with the human experience. If you simply stop at the AI step, you’re now at high risk of working backwards. You’re now trying to move your goal based on what AI creates vs using AI as a tool to get you to your goal.

I think it’s luddite thinking to shame AI as not a help in the creation/creativity process. (comment not directed at anyone, industry, etc. but a general thought.) But we should set the right expectations on what we are trying to achieve by using it.

creative explorer

Author

Community Expert

@Chris 486 It's a great way to spin and frame it that way. AI definitely shouldn’t be replacing the “why” behind what we’re designing. I think my hurdle is trying to keep my 'creator' brain going. If AI spits out something that looks 99% finished in seconds, it’s so easy to mistake high quality visuals for a fundamentally solid idea. You get that instant 'wowza' factor and forget to check if it actually solves the problem or fits the strategy.

If we aren't anchoring the whole loop in that deep, slow thinking you mentioned, we’re just at risk of becoming professional prompt-checkers. How are you personally keeping that 'human anchor' in your own workflow?

m

Chris 486

Community Expert

I think normalizing its use has helped me mentally get over it feeling like a prompt checker and using it more like a feature addition. The nice thing with how it interacts is that I can be extra critical on the content produced and know when to take over manual control to finish what I need. It feels more like a tool in my tool kit rather than the thing to make my product.

Hopefully that helps!

Ged_Traynor

Community Expert

@creative explorer 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.

AI in Photoshop may be useful for some things, but I personally don’t consider something that AI created should be shown as someone's creation.

creative explorer

Author

Community Expert

@Ged_Traynor Great perspective. I think the old-school designers (those who used Photoshop way before AI came along) are more in-tune in the nuances of the app. The newer generation are maybe more receptive and figure, why work harder?!

A year ago, I was asked if I was interested in doing a freelance gig using AI tools to create ads for them; and I had to asked them again, and they showed me what they were creating, and in my head, I am thinking, what is this world coming to?

I am so used to meeting with a client, coming with sketches or thumbnails, rough layouts and following through that may take me hours and months. I actually turned down the freelance gig thinking (and knowing) I would be bored without having that creative and critical thinking!

m

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