Reflections from a Business Perspective
As part of Singapore Design Week, I recently participated in a panel discussion titled “Navigating AI Enabled Futures in Design” (event link). Coming from a background in the creative services business of CGI and VFX, my angle focused on the business perspective, specifically how we’ve integrated AI (or not) into production today. During the panel discussion, I learned and shared some key points and I think it might be helpful to make some notes here. And hopefully, we’ll find some answers to the question “Can AI Replace Designers?”
AI: Just a Tool, Not a Replacement
One of the main points I emphasized is that AI is hardly usable “as-is” in today’s production workflows—especially for client work. While there’s a lot of noise about AI replacing creative jobs, in reality, animators and designers can relax. AI lacks the precision and control necessary for complex client work. It’s not ready to replace time-based work that holds up to scrutiny, let alone human creativity. But it’s definitely a great tool to experiment with, exploring its power and limitations. With that, I start to have serious doubts if AI can truly replace designers.
At Masonry Studios, we’ve always experimented with AI for filling in background details and environment extensions. We seek to cut down on time spent on repetitive tasks. We’ve successfully used image-to-image techniques to generate far background elements to save on resources.
I recall trying to use AI on hero elements in production. It was a project for a product key visual. Interestingly, our client was keen for us to weave into the production, citing boosts in productivity. Only this time, we embarked on a journey to use AI for parts of the final output.
Long story short? Not a great idea.
While AI could generate decent results, it often needed significant manual adjustments. Whether it was an element out of place or the texture not quite fitting, we had to step in and correct the output. AI lacked the artistic precision necessary for client-ready work. In the end, the project took as long as it would have without AI because of the refinements required. No gains there, but we agreed that it was worth the shot to test its limitations.
And this wasn’t the only project that played out this way.
This experience highlighted that AI is not a magic solution—it’s useful for certain tasks but still requires human oversight and intervention. In my studio, we treat AI as a tool to assist, not replace, our artists. So, the question remains: Can AI Replace Designers?
Ethical Concerns: Maintaining Human Agency
During the panel, one of the most interesting discussions revolved around the ethical implications of AI in creative work—specifically whether it compromises artistic integrity. The consensus was clear: human agency must remain central. I was particularly inspired by my fellow panellists. They come from larger organizations that already have policies in place for ensuring ethical AI use. One of the panellists’ companies mandates that humans must always review and curate AI-assisted content before it’s delivered. This provides a solid framework for maintaining creative control. responsibility and accountability.
For smaller studios like mine, setting up formal AI committees or implementing such robust guidelines can be challenging due to resource constraints. Instead, we adopt a more “consumer” approach to AI tools—navigating what’s available and ensuring our tools are ethically sourced. We often wait for software to clear legalities before incorporating it into client projects. Despite doing our due diligence, the landscape is always shifting. It’s not uncommon to find that a diffusion model previously thought to be ethically sound may later be found to have been trained on unapproved content. We do our best to stay informed, but the complexities of the AI space require constant vigilance.
The Practical Tools We Use
Tools like Nuke’s Copycat Node and Houdini’s infrastructure for machine learning (ML) allow us to train our own models. This gives us peace of mind. Controlling how the tool is used and the data it’s trained on reinforces that ultimately, “AI is just a tool“. No doubt, a powerful one, but still just a tool in our creative toolbox. In this way, it becomes clearer whether AI Replace Designers is a reality or a distant future.
Is AI Here to Stay?
One of the big questions asked during the panel was whether AI is just a phase or a permanent fixture in our lives. All the panellists agreed—AI is here to stay. We’ve integrated AI into both the small, mundane parts of our work and the larger, more transformative areas. Over time, we’ll look back and see this current phase as the beginning of a much larger AI evolution.
From a business owner’s perspective, some employees were initially resistant to AI. They worried about it encroaching on their creative roles. But as they started to see AI for what it is—a time-saving tool—their resistance faded. For example, we can now do tasks like filling and extending backgrounds much faster with AI. In the commercial world, time is money. No one celebrates taking more time to do the same task, especially in hyper-pragmatic Singapore.
Conclusion: A Balanced Approach to AI
In summary, while AI is far from perfect in creative production today, it holds great potential when used responsibly. As creatives, we must balance exploration and caution, remaining aware of the ethical implications while also embracing the time-saving efficiencies AI offers. For small studios like ours, AI is not something to fear—it’s simply another tool we can harness to work smarter, not harder.
