By late summer, I kept seeing teams get more comfortable with AI-generated design drafts. The useful shift was not treating the first output as a solution. It was treating it like a pile of sketches on the wall.

When I use AI in that way, the design conversation gets sharper. I can compare directions faster, but I still need to ask which one supports the user, which one fits the system, and which one creates new edge cases.

The part that matters most is editing. A generated layout might suggest a pattern I would not have drawn first, but it still needs hierarchy, accessibility, and a reason to exist.

I try to keep the team focused on the decision behind the draft. The tool can make options. The product still needs judgment.