Human Craft In The Age Of AI
How do we decide what should be done by humans versus machines.
Lately, I’ve noticed that people aren’t only reacting to what they see anymore. They’re responding to how it was made. Even if they can’t fully tell, they’re trying to read the signal: is this AI made?
In the creative space, AI hype pushed people to take sides, many against AI and embracing human craft as a response.
This reaction is shaped by multiple factors: losing jobs, relevance, and creative identity. But it’s also driven by deeper concerns about the ethical use of AI in art and creative work, and about the quality and meaning of what gets produced.
The big brands are taking different approaches, and AI usage backfired for some:
Brands leaning into AI:
Coca-Cola released holiday commercials that were visibly AI-generated
McDonald’s Netherlands launched a fully AI-made holiday ad
Brands leaning into human craft:
Apple released holiday films made with real puppets
Porsche created an ad entirely with human illustrators and animators
As synthetic creativity floods the surface, people become more sensitive. They start looking for work that feels authentic and suggests someone stood behind it:
Judgment over optimization
Coherence over variation
Taste over pattern matching
Accountability over anonymity
Ideas like quality, context, and cultural nuances are questioned and redefined.
With AI, it’s easy it is to generate convincing content, so people don’t just doubt the fake things. They start doubting everything.
AI makes it easier for anyone to generate content at scale, and the internet begins to feel noisier, harder to read. Social feeds become denser. Images, videos, articles, and opinions appear faster than our ability to verify or contextualize them.
This is not only about people becoming anti-AI; it’s about trust eroding:
More skepticism toward what appears online
Greater reliance on familiar voices and known sources
Shorter attention spans combined with deeper attachment to trusted spaces
A growing need for signals that say “this is real,” “this is intentional,” this is a human”
This is another reason why “human-made” starts to resonate again.
Do We Have To Choose a Side?
As a creative person working in product and with AI, I started asking myself:
Do I have to choose a side?
Do my clients have to choose a side?
How will this impact my work?
And, after thinking this through, I don't think this is about choosing sides.
It’s about choosing the right approach in the right context.
Not everything that CAN be made with AI SHOULD be made with AI.
This simply becomes another lens we need to consider when creating with AI.
Human Touch: A 2026 Visual Trend
I've seen this trend across many reports: the human touch, a return to texture, craft, and emotions.
For creatives and product teams, this opens a new space for exploration. In a world where all AI-generated work can look the same, the main question becomes “How do we create things that stand out?”
I studied art, and half of my life I spent thousands of hours drawing and doing manual artwork, so I’m actually very excited to explore this trend.
As this duality (AI vs Human) continues to evolve, we’ll likely be seeing more:
Textures, grain, noise, and imperfect edges
Hand-drawn or custom elements
Asymmetrical or non-linear layouts
Interfaces that slow you down instead of rushing you through
Elements inspired by nature
Blurred and moved photography
Irregularities and mistakes
Human-unique concepts like time and emotions
“Anti-UX” experiences
“Human-made” labeling
As AI makes production easier, inspiration shifts toward what can’t be automated easily: judgment, taste, and emotion, things that make us human.
And this trend likely won’t stop at visuals. It will extend into experiences, where physical presence and human connection move back into focus.
I'm ready to play around with these ideas in my creative work, and I'm curious to see how it evolves. What do you think about this trend?
I’d love to hear your thoughts! 💬
📚 Dive Deeper:
The Best Anti-AI Marketing Campaigns in 2025, and Why They Worked
Coca-Cola’s AI-Generated Holiday Ads Approach A Creative Tipping Point
2025 Holiday Ad Trends: The Battle Between AI and Human-Made Stories
‘Imperfect by Design’: The visual design trends set to define 2026 by Canva
👀 More UX + AI Reads:
Closing Thoughts 💭
We’re moving toward a world where AI is everywhere.
And when generation becomes infinite, meaning becomes sacred.
Thanks for reading! 🫶
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Great article. Spot on. Efficiency is often the enemy of aesthetics. As AI masters the average, human taste and individual eccentricity will become the ultimate luxuries. A timely reminder that the process is just as important as the product.
I love what you wrote here! I completely agree! I think we are craving the human component, the mess, the imperfection, the artistry and everything else that comes with being human. Just because we can make something with AI, doesn't mean we always should. We should still embrace our humanity and the special aspects of our species :)