“Arrival of the Normandy Train, Gare Saint-Lazare” (Claude Monet, 1877). A masterpiece of industrial modernity, Monet captures the dynamic energy of the steam engine age, blending atmospheric beauty with the power of progress. The Art Institute of Chicago, Mr. and Mrs. Martin A. Ryerson Collection, 1933.1158.
How are design executives adapting with AI?
“My design team has varying degrees of adoption of AI. Some are afraid it will impact their jobs; others are fully embracing it. I haven’t yet figured out how to guide them,” shared one participant during our first membership town hall.
Another noted, “Just like mobile and web before it, AI brings a whole new set of demands for design standards and patterns. I’m already seeing teams rushing to deploy AI solutions without a coherent or consistent design language, which risks creating fragmented and confusing user experiences.” These reflections capture the complexity and urgency many design leaders face as AI accelerates its transformation of industries, fundamentally redefining how people work.
The Intelligence Renaissance
The rise of Generative and Agentic AI represents a paradigm shift poised to create a multi-trillion-dollar industry, unlocking new frontiers in innovation, creativity, and strategic potential. This transformative moment—what we are calling the Intelligence Renaissance as our global theme for 2025—is reshaping the relationship between human and artificial intelligence.
At our DXC Membership town hall on January 8th, 2025, design executives from some of the world’s largest companies gathered to explore the challenges and opportunities AI presents for the design profession and business at large. The conversation underscored the urgency to adapt and lead in this era of rapid change. Like the Italian Renaissance and the Industrial Revolution before it, the Intelligence Renaissance holds the promise of extraordinary advancements through generative AI, autonomous systems, and augmented creativity. However, it also introduces or amplifies macro risks: addressing ethical concerns, regulation and policy for responsible AI innovation, sustainability and climate impacts, preparing the workforce for new roles, and redefining the value of human contributions as machines grow more capable.
For many, this era feels like a realization of once-fictional imaginings from sci-fi films. For design leaders, it is a pivotal moment to reimagine how organizations approach creativity, strategy, and design’s role in shaping the future. Below are key observations and concerns raised during our town hall, offering insight into what’s on the minds of today’s design executives as they navigate this transformative era.
1 - The strategic role of design in the AI era
Executives are grappling with the shifting role of design in businesses increasingly driven by AI. The question of whether design teams will remain central to strategy or become operational support functions looms large. Many expressed concerns that without clearly demonstrating business impact, design could be sidelined as automation and algorithmic decision-making take precedence.
Key Insight: Design must move beyond crafting interfaces to shaping new business models and strategic frameworks for how AI systems engage with people, ensuring ethical and human-centered outcomes.
2 - Talent development and the future workforce
AI is rapidly changing the skillsets needed for design teams. Leaders highlighted the challenge of re-skilling their workforce to thrive in an AI-enabled world. They questioned how to balance technical expertise in areas like machine learning and data with traditional design competencies like empathy, storytelling, and visual craft.
Key Insight: Successful design teams will combine learning agility with technical fluency with creative ingenuity, leveraging AI tools as amplifiers of human potential rather than total replacements.
3 - Ethical and inclusive AI
One of the most resonant concerns was ensuring that AI systems reflect diverse and inclusive perspectives. Executives fear that poorly designed AI could perpetuate bias, undermine trust, and alienate users. The responsibility to advocate for ethical AI practices within their organizations is a pressing issue for many.
Key Insight: Design leaders are uniquely positioned to embed ethical guardrails into AI initiatives, but this requires a stronger voice at the table during early development phases.
4 - Demonstrating measurable impact
As budgets tighten or shift to AI infrastructure areas, proving the value of design investment has never been more critical. Executives are seeking frameworks to quantify the impact of AI-enhanced design on business outcomes. They stressed the need for metrics that resonate with C-Suite stakeholders.
Key Insight: Integrating CFO-grade metrics into design processes will elevate the perceived value of design in driving business performance.
5 - Balancing creativity with automation
Generative AI tools are transforming the creative process, offering both opportunities and challenges. While these tools can increase efficiency and scale, they also raise questions about the role of human creativity and originality in the design process.
Key Insight: Design leaders must determine when to lean into AI-generated solutions and when to prioritize human input, ensuring creativity remains a differentiating factor.
6 - Reimagining collaboration
AI is reshaping team dynamics and workflows. Executives discussed how Generative AI tools are enabling new forms of collaboration but also introducing friction and variance in adoption and usage. Ensuring that teams work cohesively while integrating AI into their processes is a critical focus.
Key Insight: A reimagined approach to collaboration—one that embraces AI as a partner, not just a tool—will be essential for building effective, adaptable teams.
7 - Organizational readiness for AI
Finally, many executives expressed concerns about whether their organizations are truly ready to embrace AI at scale. From outdated infrastructure to a lack of AI literacy among leadership, barriers to adoption remain significant.
Key Insight: Design executives must play an active role in preparing their organizations for the transformations AI will bring, ensuring alignment between design, technology, and business strategy.
8 - Spirituality and creative identity
Though not explicitly stated, there was an undercurrent of heightened self-reflection among design leaders who have built their careers around creativity. With artificial intelligence now capable of generating interfaces, assets, and solutions at scale, it challenges us to define what is uniquely human and defensible territory. This moment demands a deeper examination of creativity itself: Is it merely the ability to produce and solve problems, or does it lie in our distinct capacities to experience emotions, connect with others, and define values?
This shift raises profound questions about identity and purpose as leaders. How do we distinguish ourselves from AI—not just as creators but as individuals? It calls for a renewed understanding of leadership that is rooted in authenticity, emotional intelligence, and the human qualities that no machine can replicate. These qualities—our ability to empathize, imagine, and lead with values—may ultimately define the enduring role of humanity in a world with artificial intelligence.
Taking it forward
These insights illustrate the complexity of the AI revolution and the unique role design executives play in shaping its trajectory. By addressing these challenges head-on, the design community can lead with purpose and ensure AI serves as a force for human-centric benefit and progress.
This February, our Council is hosting a series of AI for Design events, including three in-person roundtables in Seattle, San Francisco and New York to convene global design executives to unpack these challenges and co-create new solutions. DXC Research papers and data insights will be made available through the year.
To request an invitation, explore DXC membership.
