Summary
AI's impact on DesignOps tools: forget the if part--we've squarely moved on to when and how. The real question is this: are you ready for how AI will change your work as a DesignOps professional? Join us for a panel discussion with the companies that are envisioning or already utilizing artificial intelligence to dramatically change the practice of Design Operations.
Key Insights
-
•
AI is best framed as a powerful junior assistant rather than an autonomous intelligence in design operations.
-
•
Limina uses AI primarily for operational support like onboarding, marketing, and synthesizing contract details, avoiding client data input.
-
•
Environmental impact is a key consideration in adopting AI, as AI technologies have significant carbon footprints relevant to organizations pursuing sustainability certifications like B Corp.
-
•
Balsamiq focuses on low-fidelity wireframing and is cautious about rushing AI integration due to ethical and market pressures.
-
•
Ethical concerns about AI include potential job displacement, intellectual property issues, and legal risks raised by hallucinated AI outputs.
-
•
AI can enhance onboarding by offering personalized, self-service chat interfaces that provide only relevant context and documentation as needed.
-
•
Current AI tools aid UX research by automating transcription and summarization but cannot yet reliably generate deep user insights without expert oversight.
-
•
AI is poised to act as a conversational interface or connective tissue linking design systems across disciplines such as design, engineering, and product management.
-
•
Successful AI integration requires human experts to train and guide AI with precise prompts and taxonomies to avoid bias and irrelevant output.
-
•
Organizations may develop proprietary AI models specialized to their internal knowledge bases and workflows, requiring roles like AI engineers dedicated to that purpose.
Notable Quotes
"People tend to forget that the A in AI stands for artificial, which is basically fake intelligence."
"Think of AI more like a junior associate, a really powerful one, not a replacement."
"We haven’t put any client data into generative AI — just information about our own organization and processes."
"AI itself has a very large carbon footprint, so we have to balance adoption with our environmental goals."
"We’re experimenting but not yet planning AI product releases; the space is so open and exciting."
"There’s a difference between generating prompts and actually generating useful design outputs that fit your unique vision."
"We see AI as a tool that can quickly sketch ideas and ask thoughtful questions to take designs to the next level."
"The relationship with AI is like having a gopher or minion — don’t give it the final decision."
"AI can serve as a conversational broker, helping non-designers interact naturally with design systems."
"AI is a great automated assist, but it is not yet an insight generator like we hope for in UX research."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Design and research at Compass have become so integrated that we become these powerful partners driving the product vision."
Andreas Huebner Amy Takata Craig BrookesWhat Is It Like To Be Part of The UX Team at Compass?
March 11, 2021
"Inclusion and representation help us be both socially relevant and novel in our work."
Dr. Jamika D. BurgeTheme 3 Intro
March 11, 2022
"We subscribe to the F Buckminster Fuller quote: If you want to change someone’s way of thinking, don’t talk about thinking, give them a tool."
Andrew WebsterScaling Design Capability: How Involved Should You Be?
September 30, 2021
"Critical thinking is our strongest asset, not just automation or AI."
Ben Reason Aline Horta Majid Iqbal Fabiano LeoniMaking the system visible: The fastest path to better decisions
November 20, 2025
"Project leadership can be at any level; the right discipline leads, not necessarily the most senior person."
Catherine BlizzardUsing Integrated Insight to Drive Growth
March 10, 2022
"Visualizing carbon emissions on user journeys provokes conversations that numbers alone might not evoke."
James ChudleyDecarbonising User Journeys: How minimising enables us to do more with less
February 19, 2025
"Steve invites us to look back at the history of our field so we can keep being difficult and courageous together."
Jemma AhmedTheme 2 Intro
March 26, 2024
"Research is complex because we use the term to mean anything and everything."
Steve PortigalLooking Back…to Look Ahead
March 26, 2024
"We had to build the plane while we were flying it."
Kristen Honey"Let’s Talk About Data and Crisis”: Public Digital Service Delivery = Open Data + Human Centered Design
November 18, 2021