Will designers face the same fate as truck drivers?

A 2017 article on Artribune explores the potential impact of automation on the design profession. Drawing parallels with the predicted obsolescence of truck drivers due to self-driving vehicles, the piece examines how AI and algorithms are already encroaching on creative fields. Examples include the Vitra Museum's 'Hello, Robot' exhibition catalog designed by an AI, the web design platform The Grid that builds sites autonomously, and Autodesk's Dreamcatcher generative design software used to create the 'La Bandita' car chassis. The article cites a McKinsey report forecasting 1.2 billion job losses by 2065 due to automation, and an Oxford Martin School study suggesting even software developers could be replaced. It argues that while routine tasks may be delegated to machines, human skills like critical thinking, empathy, and networking—central to design thinking—may remain irreplaceable. The piece concludes by noting that the line between creative and mechanical work is blurring, and that designers may need to evolve into mediators between art and science.