A few weeks ago, I came across a flyer that was clearly made with AI. At first glance, it wasn’t bad. The layout was decent. The colors worked. The text was readable. But after looking at it for a few seconds, I realized it looked off, in a way I couldn’t quite describe. It’s a subtle feel that becomes easier to notice the more you work in the creative space.
What felt off wasn’t the execution, but the absence of clear design judgment. The hierarchy felt safe too safe; nothing was particularly wrong, but nothing felt intentionally placed either. It had that familiar templated balance where everything is technically in place, yet nothing feels truly considered or directed.
We’re creating more content than ever before, but not necessarily better content, and that’s why I don’t think AI has lowered the bar for creative work. If anything, it’s exposed where the real bar has always been.
A lot of people assume creative work is about making things look good, Designers know that’s only part of the job, The harder part is making something feel right. Making a flyer that is just right, writing a headline that sounds like it was written by a person who actually means it, not a marketing department trying to sound clever, creating a visual that people remember hours later.
That’s the part AI still struggles with, don’t get me wrong, AI is impressive. I use it. Daily.
Many creatives use it. It’s great for brainstorming, getting unstuck, exploring ideas, and speeding up repetitive tasks.
But I’ve also seen AI create some truly shitty work. The kind that’s technically correct but completely empty, and I think that’s because creativity isn’t just about output, it’s about perspective.
When a designer creates something, they’re bringing their experiences, opinions, observations, frustrations, and instincts into the work. That’s why two people can be given the same brief and produce completely different solutions.
The same thing happens with AI.
People often talk about AI as if it’s doing all the creative thinking. In reality, the quality of what comes out often depends on the quality of what goes in.
Anyone can ask AI to create a social media post.
Getting it to not be soulless is a different challenge entirely.
Anyone can ask AI to generate a design.
Getting it to communicate a specific feeling, personality, or point of view is much harder.
That’s where I’ve seen the biggest difference, not between people who use AI and people who don’t, but between people who have something to say and people who don’t.
Because AI can help you execute an idea, it can’t give you one. It can help you write, but it can’t replace your voice. It can help you design, but it can’t replace your personality. And personality matters more than ever.
When everyone has access to the same tools, the differentiator becomes how people use them, how much they’re willing to collaborate with the output, rework it, and layer in their own personality, feel, and soul.
So, has AI raised or lowered the bar? I think it’s done something more interesting. It has made us realize that the valuable part of creative work was never the software, the shortcuts, or how quickly something could be produced. The valuable part has always been the human behind the work.
And in a world where content can be generated in seconds, that human element might be more important than ever.