AI as Creative Partner

Rough notes on something I’ve been thinking about…

The shift from tool to collaborator

Traditional tools are passive. You push pixels, they move. AI tools push back. They have “opinions” (even if those opinions are statistical patterns).

This changes the creative dynamic. It’s less like using Photoshop and more like working with a very fast, very literal junior designer.

What I’m noticing

• The best outputs come from iteration, not first attempts
• Knowing what to ask for matters as much as the AI’s capabilities
• The “taste gap” still applies—you need to know good from bad
• Speed enables experimentation in ways we haven’t fully explored

Questions to explore

• Does AI assistance atrophy certain skills?
• What new skills does it require?
• How does credit/authorship work?

This note is very early. Will revisit as I work with these tools more.