AI: What UX Designers can expect in 2024 and beyond?

Have we reached peak AI? Far from it, according to several Stanford scholars.

Their perspective on what we can expect in 2024 envisions bigger, multimodal AI models, emphasis on productivity and more nuanced conversations on the use and regulation of this game-changing technology.

What does this mean for UX designers?

Here are some of my key takeaways from this article recently published by Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI):

1. Mass adoption of AI will drive higher productivity.

The expected widespread adoption of AI in companies will enhance productivity, particularly affecting knowledge workers like lawyers, finance and creative professionals. UX Design should explore ways to integrate AI to improve job performance and enable new capabilities, complementing human tasks.

2. Battling misinformation and defining the truth.

We should expect the rapid advancements in AI such as new multimodal models, especially in video generation, leading to an increase in deepfakes. "We’ll see the spread of videos in which people “say” things that they never said". UX Design should focus on driving awareness and transparency about these issues in user experiences, explore ways to address potential misinformation and ethical concerns. Instead of worrying about the far future and AI replacing humanity, we should pay attention to near term AI related challenges such as deepfakes and disinformation.

3. Conversational Interfaces will continue to rule.

UX Design needs to pay attention to two emerging trends in AI. Firstly, the evolution of AI agents that not only interact through chat but also perform tasks like making reservations and planning trips, etc. This requires designing interfaces that converge intuitive conversational interaction sand task execution workflows. Secondly, there's a shift towards multimedia capabilities in AI, moving beyond language and image models to include video processing. This involves designing for AI that can interpret and interact with video content in a more dynamic and unscripted manner, unlike the structured data it's been trained on so far. The challenge for designers, will be to preempt the opportunities and risks, in how these advanced AI capabilities are being leveraged in the context of their users.

4. But, who is asking the hard questions?

It's important to continuously question and evaluate the role and impact of AI in various aspects of life, including work, education, and society. As generative AI technologies become more embedded in our daily activities, we need to continue to reflect on their implications and our relationship with them. This involves determining ethical boundaries and permissible uses of AI. As UX Designers, it is critical for us to understand and define the ethical limits and roles of AI in our products and designs, ensuring we are being responsible.

5. Staying aware of evolving AI regulations

The AI Act in the EU and new laws in California and Colorado are hinting at automated decision making in the context of consumer privacy. Essentially, these regulations give consumers the right to opt-out of AI systems, especially in sensitive areas like hiring and insurance. As a UX designer, we will need to consider how to design systems that accommodate these opt-out rights and how it will impact the quality and accuracy of data used for training. This involves designing interfaces that can seamlessly switch between AI and human-driven processes and effectively communicate these options to users. "What happens if you are a large company using AI to assist with your hiring process, and even hundreds of potential hires request an opt-out?" In these scenarios, we will need to anticipate where human intervention is required and how the efficiency and quality will compare across human vs AI generated outputs.

The forthcoming years will demand UX designers to be at the forefront, navigating these challenges and embracing the transformative potential of AI, ensuring that these AI advancements are integrated into our lives in a responsible, human-centered way.

Questions for you: How are you preparing for an AI first world? What gaps do you in resources and knowledge to feel prepared?