Why AI Won't Save Us All (And Why That's Not What You Think)

I just got back from PTO and spent 90 minutes in a UX meeting with a colleague. Before we even got to lunch, this marathon session left me thinking: AI will not save all of us—especially designers and PMs. And that’s something you’re not hearing enough about.

The Illusion of Simplicity

Here’s what happened. My colleague surprised me with an amazing design. When I first saw the mockup, my immediate reaction was, “Okay, easy. This looks simple and clear from the user’s point of view.” We were about to close the meeting.

But then I remembered a golden rule I’ve learned working with designers over the years:

If the design looks easy, it’s because someone spent countless hours making it look that way.

So I asked to see the different versions they’d tested. Turns out, they’d gone through 10 to 20 iterations, spending countless hours refining, testing, and perfecting. What looked “simple” to me was the result of deep, hard work.

The AI Hype Machine

This reminded me of the current AI hype. Everything seems easy now:

• “You can easily write a PRD with AI”
• “You can easily handle support tickets”
• “Easy, easy, easy”

Companies are pushing this narrative hard. But here’s the challenge I want to pose to you: Let me describe what I actually need to do right now, and you tell me how AI can do it for me—or even how AI can prevent the complexity I’m facing.

The Reality of Complex Work

Our codebase is complex. We have multiple dependencies between teams, and we’re in the process of evolving our products. I’m working with an integration team—essentially a service team—which means I bring capabilities that need to be plugged into other teams.

I have two conflicting dependencies with two different teams:

1. One team driving the core product
2. Another team driving innovation and the next evolution

What do I actually need to do? I need to:

• Sit down with the other PMs
• Clarify what happens in each quarter
• Discuss pros and cons
• Sometimes convince them of something
• Sometimes clarify, “This is our responsibility, this is what we can do, this is what we can’t”

It All Starts With Human Interaction

Everything begins with human interaction. We need data, yes. We need user interviews. We create different mockups. Once approved, we handle development.

Sure, AI can help somewhere in this process. But there’s still massive confusion in the world about where AI helps versus where it becomes the AI hype hiding the real work.

The 90/10 Rule

I remember when I was a developer, I used to say: “I need 90% of the time just to do the last 10%“—getting to the finish line.

This is what the AI hype always hides. They show you the first 10%, the prototype, the quick demo. But they don’t show you what it takes to complete a real product.

The Bottom Line

Do I believe AI will replace my job today? No.

But if it ever does, I’m sure we’ll find a way to stay ahead of AI rather than behind it. The key is understanding what AI actually does versus what the hype promises.

The designers, the PMs, the engineers—we’re all still needed. Not because AI can’t help, but because the hard work isn’t in making something exist; it’s in making something great.