RGE Design

20/03/2025

Artificial Intelligence in Design

Artificial Intelligence has the ability to reshape our experience of both augmented and virtual reality. AI will allow for interactive experiences in these digital environments which respond and adapt to our behaviour, creating safe spaces to learn and test.

During his lecture, Chapman discussed the future avenues for which AI and VR will change our way of doing things. The first of these was the concept of a ‘lab of the future’, a virtual reality environment were people can collaborate from across the world in the same room. An obviously advantageous situation, particularly for international companies, which will allow for easier access to others to help push the bounds of science and experiments while not only cutting down cost but also reducing the risk of injury.

Another use of AI discussed was for creating new drugs. In a similar way to the lab of the future, components can be created and experimented with so scientists and drug manufacturers can test reactions and predict results in environments with no risk of harm to themselves.

And while these are great things and will aid in these areas, there are still ethical challenges that need to be addressed. These include, but are not limited to, privacy concerns, concerns on over reliance on technology, and in these scenarios virtual reality, possibility of bias being introduced to the AI algorithms and even a blurring of reality.

I believe as we embrace AI, particularly into design, its important that we ask these ethical questions and embrace the challenges presented by them, that transparency and inclusivity should be at the core of every AI driven design. I also believe that not only those creating the AI need to hold themselves to account to ensure that they are but we as designs should be too.

While representing new, innovative ways of doing things, I believe we need to be careful about how we are incorporating AI and vigilant in ensuring safety of users and designers by asking the difficult questions.