Think about the Flash era. Knowing Flash used to mean something, it put you in a different bracket. Then overnight, it didn't. The designers who understood users, flows, and system thinking adapted without much friction. The ones who mostly knew the tool had a harder time. I don't think this moment is structurally different. AI feels more permanent because it's more capable. Maybe it is. But the underlying dynamic tool shifts, fundamentals don't that part isn't new.

The test I keep coming back to is simple: whiteboard, marker, no screen. Can I still work through the problem? Can I find the wrong assumption buried in the brief, map what the user actually needs, figure out the real question before jumping to a solution? If yes great, use AI to move faster on top of that. If not, that's the thing to fix first. Not the prompt technique.

I use AI. It saves real time on work that used to eat hours for no good reason. But it's a way to move quicker it's not what makes the work good. That part is still on me.