TL;DR: Designers can embrace the Stoic virtues of Justice, Courage, Temperance, and Wisdom to navigate industry changes driven by AI technology. By prioritizing ethical decision-making, continuous learning, and moderation in integrating AI tools, designers can maintain their integrity, serve the common good, and enhance their creativity while making conscious choices amid an ever-evolving industry.

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In a rapidly evolving landscape where technology intersects with design, the principles of Stoicism offer a guiding light for designers facing the transformative impacts of AI. The virtues of Justice, Courage, Temperance, and Wisdom can help designers navigate ethical dilemmas, foster innovation, and ensure the common good remains at the heart of their work.

JUSTICE

Justice strikes me as the most pressing and evergreen topic when it comes to technology, no matter where you sit in an organization. The Stoics didn’t view Justice in a legal sense; the scope is much broader: we were born to serve the common good. Marcus Aurelius said, “What injures the hive injures the bee.” To go further, the Stoic teacher Epictetus said,

“Seeking the very best in ourselves means actively caring for the welfare of other human beings.”

Designers can incorporate the Stoic virtue of Justice into their work by striving to serve the common good through ethical decision-making and considering the larger impacts of design choices. Be transparent about the use of AI in your design processes, and communicate clearly about how it impacts users. Which brings us to…

COURAGE

…the fight for justice. When Stoic teacher Epictetus was asked for advice on how a person can thrive, he said,

“Two words should be committed to memory and obeyed by alternately exerting and restraining ourselves…persist and resist.”

With the constant flow of information coming at us (some of which can be hard to discern if it’s right or wrong, fact or opinion), how can designers thrive? I believe we can do this by persisting in our commitment to ethical design practices, continuous learning, and adaptation to new technologies. By resisting the temptation to compromise our integrity, we can maintain our ethical compass and ensure that our work is just and aligns with the highest standards of professionalism and social responsibility.

Making our work accessible and bringing in the voices of those not typically heard can help us create work that addresses needs we may not have previously considered. Joy Buolamwini’s book Unmasking AI: My Mission to Protect What Is Human in a World of Machines is a great place to start. Her courage and relentless commitment to justice is inspirational.

TEMPERANCE

In the book Memoirs of Hadrian by Marguerite Yourcenar, the Roman emperor Hadrian tells Marcus Aurelius that many citizens “poison themselves with spice” and drown their plates in rich sauces, overwhelming their palates. He believes simple pleasures are better, and “moderation has always been my delight.” 

Today, AI for the masses is the new “spice.” Just the right amount can be delicious and transformational; add too much, and it’s ruined.

Designers, exercise temperance when a banquet of AI tools sits before you. Maintain a balanced, moderate approach to integrating AI in your work.

Choose your tools carefully and get to know their capabilities. Think of AI as a new “material” to work with. Find opportunities where you might apply them to your current workflow or the things you’re already making. Simultaneously, you’ll sharpen your skills in communicating with it as if it were your personal assistant, co-creator or strategic partner.

WISDOM

Viktor Frankl said,

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”

Designers already know that AI is not a replacement for humans with life experience and empathic skills that AI simply cannot replicate. So we can choose our response to all of this change by actively adopting a learning mindset. We can also tear ourselves away from the machines for a bit, turning our attention to the signs of life all around us. We can immerse ourselves in anything that has nothing to do with zeros and ones, and see what we learn about ourselves. There is wisdom to be found in quiet moments, in simplicity, and in mental and physical rest.

When we come back, AI will be waiting, ready to help us enhance our creativity as an extension of our creative will, and we can choose to do it in the spirit of the Stoics. Or not. It’s your choice.

GPT-4 helped me create the image of our feline Roman emperor.