If we don’t rethink how we use AI now, human creativity will flatline by 2027

The question about AI in design is no longer “what AI can do”, but “how it should be used.” 

If we continue treating AI as a shortcut rather than a creative partner, we risk 2026 being the year of weaker imagination, homogenised outputs, and a generation of designers who create, think, and feel less.   

The warning signs are clear: 78% of UK creatives say AI is making work feel soulless and homogenised, yet 94% now use AI in some part of their process, with 42% relying on it daily. The risk lies in designers adopting generic AI tools during the creative process and using generated ideas uncritically, which could lead to a creative monoculture.

Our recent research reveals that audiences already sense a difference and are emotionally tuning out of AI-only, generated design: 71% report weak emotional responses to machine-made work, while 82% say human or hybrid work feels more meaningful. This emotional disconnect reflects a fundamental truth: generic AI models do not understand how to appeal to human perceptions, and AI alone cannot demonstrate imagination, inspiration, or intention.  

Rapidly evolving AI capability can elevate human creativity, but without active human guidance or tailored models of human perception, it risks producing repetitive, homogenised ideas that are unappealing to consumers. I see this in my own work where generic LLMs can generate countless ideas, but often similar ones, risking a creative monoculture if humans don’t actively intervene.  

The path forward is clear: the most successful creative practices will be hybrid, blending human emotion, judgment, and context with AI’s capacity to analyse, optimise, and scale.  

My team’s mission is to build the frameworks, standards, and guardrails for human-centred AI design, ensuring AI enhances creativity rather than eroding it.  

Without decisive action, the erosion of imagination and originality could become irreversible by 2027. Against this backdrop, we have outlined five key predictions for the future of AI in design. 

Generic AI tools will reach their limit for design and innovation 

Generic AI is nearing the limits of its utility for design and innovation, hindered by its inability to fully understand human wants and needs, and its reliance on rehashing existing designs. To unlock genuine and effective creative collaboration, we must adapt tools, like LLMs, by embedding models of creative thinking and design thinking into them. 

My research points to the next frontier: ethically sourced human data. Behavioural, physiological, feedback, and emotional data, collected transparently and with consent, can unlock richer and more personalised design through giving AI the human context it currently lacks.  

Some practical examples already emerging include: 

• Physiological insight from heart rate variability, used to understand stress and wellbeing, enabling designers to ground decisions in real human data rather than assumptions. 

• Comfort-optimised headsets and hand orthosis, modelled using detailed anthropometric data, sensors and a dataset of 200 head scans to predict fit and reduce the number of prototype iterations needed. 

• Aesthetic modelling of products using perception data. By analysing how people rate shapes through semantic scales and statistical modelling, designers can link specific form features to perceptions like beauty or elegance, helping create products that better match what users want to own. 

To move beyond repetitive outputs, designers across all industries must prioritise human insight and real-world experience, giving AI the context it needs to create truly original work.

Emotional resonance will become the benchmark for success 

By 2027, the emotional impact of a design – how it resonates with humans – will become a key metric. Recent findings show the public already senses the “flatness” of AI-only design.  

My research illustrates why: in one study, AI-generated vase designs were perceived as beautiful, but only because researchers had first programmed human models of perception into the system.   

AI can produce objects people recognise as elegant, but only when human values, emotional cues, and practical functionality are built in first. Without that, AI can’t grasp what beauty really means.  

Hybrid processes, where human creativity shapes intent and AI optimises form, function, and accessibility, will dominate. Machines generate, but humans feel. That distinction will define the next phase of creative work. 

Creativity is driven by intent, cultural meaning and the emotional connection a design creates; emotional engagement is essential, shaping how people experience, value, and connect with creative work. 

Creativity monocultures will emerge without human intervention  

AI often converges average patterns and existing works, risking a global creative monoculture and stifling true innovation. Without deliberate human intervention, designs will start to be homogenised, optimised for broad appeal but lacking originality and cultural richness.  

True inspiration comes from understanding and unexpected experiences, which help to give ideas meaning. Injecting human unpredictability, emotion, needs, and intuition into AI-driven workflows will be essential to preserve diversity and cultural richness in design. Without that, innovation quietly gives way to repetition. 

AI as analyst, not artist, will enhance human capability 

One of the biggest opportunities for AI lies in evaluation, not creation. Our research has found that AI, when structured correctly, can mirror expert reasoning, when assessing novelty and usefulness of a product, through recognising patterns humans alone may miss. 

AI enhances rather than replaces human creativity. It can analyse, compare, and predict at scale, but only humans determine what matters, what inspires, and what has meaning, and must embed purpose, ethics, and intent into AI models. 

Hybrid design will become the gold standard 

The future of meaningful design is hybrid. Humans provide intention, inspiration, and skill, while AI, when it is grounded in accurate models of human perception and value, can provide refinement and optimisation of creative workflow.   

New research shows that embedding human values and emotional cues ensures AI outputs are both functional and resonant.  The challenge is not what AI can generate but giving it the data to do so with human values in mind.  

Teams that embrace hybrid creativity now will lead in distinctive and emotionally engaging design; those who rely on off-the-shelf generation risk disappearing into a sea of sameness.

The hybrid imperative for 2026

If we fail to rethink how we work with AI and continue using it without human expertise, creativity risks flattening by 2027.  Our research shows that successful designers combine human imagination, intention, and judgment with AI’s evaluative and optimising power, to produce emotionally resonant, innovative, and distinctive work. 

The future of creativity is hybrid, safeguarding originality while accelerating innovation. This shift requires better human–AI collaboration, education that equips designers to work critically with AI, and governance addressing trust, privacy, and regulation.  

LLMs are already valuable in evaluation, assessing novelty and usefulness while aligning with human experts and supporting structured decision-making. 

When guided thoughtfully, AI can preserve expertise, enhance judgment, and amplify creativity. Without this intentional approach, it risks flattening originality and diminishing emotional impact. 2026 marks a turning point in creative stagnation or human-centred design. Without intentional use, AI accelerates output but flattens originality.