Report
AI has made design faster. But is it more defensible?
New research from 183 designers reveals a growing gap between speed and defensibility — and what design leaders must do about it.
AI has solved the blank page problem.
Design teams can generate ideas, drafts, layouts, and summaries at unprecedented speed. But as output accelerates, evidence and defensibility struggle to keep pace.
In our latest research, we surveyed 183 designers across the US and Europe to understand how AI is reshaping design decisions — and whether those decisions are easier to defend.
What we found:
- 91% of designers are faster — but only 15% feel much more confident in what they ship.
- Defensibility drops as decisions become harder to reverse.
- 47% say AI-generated work “sounds right, but is hard to verify.”
- 64.7% can’t confidently say AI improves outcomes.
- Accountability for AI-accelerated decisions is fragmented and unclear.
In a world where generation is instant, the real leadership challenge is defining what makes a decision defensible.
Access the report to learn:
- Why speed is outpacing defensibility
- How the “reversibility factor” shapes trust in AI
- What separates teams who feel less risk from those who feel more
- Why diffused accountability creates structural exposure
- How to design decision gates that withstand scrutiny
Get my free report
