We are on a race. A race to automate, optimize and accelerate everything we do.

Artificial Intelligence (dear AI) has already taken center stage. From AI-powered Business insights, predictive analysis, automated code generation to assisted UX design mockups, the promise is clear:

• Faster iteration (yup... humans are required to be faster now)
• Cost reduction (yup... humans are part of costs)
• ...and even personalized experiences at scale (yup... humans still the ones to experience)

Yet, as machines get better at mimicking human input and outputs, a paradox emerges — the more powerful AI becomes, the more essential human judgment, empathy and ethics become in guiding it.

"The best products come from people who really care about solving human problems"
Sam Altman, Y Combinator blog (2019)

So why are we doing technology?

Can we say it’s because there are problems need to be solved?
But all problems shouldn’t be part of someone’s life that needs some help?

Having an Human-centered approach is about understand that there’s people struggling to live on the other side of our interfaces and that we need to listen to them too.

“You’ve got to start with the customer experience and work back toward the technology — not the other way around.”
Steve Jobs, Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), 1997

AI empowers Us... Let’s bring solutions to Life

Product Managers are using AI to analyse competitors, accelerate decision-making, uncover insights, automate repetitive tasks.

UX workers are doing it to get data insights from queries, prototype solutions, generate design variations.
Devs use AI assistants like Copilot, Gemini CLI, Claude, to boost productivity, automate coding tasks and identify bugs or for faster optimisations.

Meanwhile the division of areas and roles are fading fast.

A Product Manager now can prototype straight from his own PRD (See Filippo Ceraolo's article), an UX can deploy a functional MVP prototype, a Dev can design entire new features. All by simple and natural interactions with AI.


All of this without human oversight and no need of experts?

AI risks amplify biases, reinforce stereotypes, design for a narrow set of use cases.
For instance, an AI trained on legacy design systems may unknowingly perpetuate exclusionary patterns.

As we integrate AI more deeply into our pipelines and workflows, these roles are blending and shifting — not disappearing.

Our responsibilities now includes curating data, auditing algorithms, interpretating insights through a human lens.

In this new landscape, qualities like empathy, critical thinking, and ethical responsibility are not soft skills — they’re survival skills.

Is the future of tech AI vs. humans?
Let's incentivate at least AI to be guided by the best of what makes us human.

“The human being is still the most extraordinary computer of all”
Bill Gates, “The Road Ahead” (1995)

HCD is here to enhance: We're Here for You!

The HCD Sircle aims to support all teams and Sircles across Sorint and clients.
We can partner with:

• PreSales: Assisting in discovering user and stakeholder requirements early on
• Marketing: Designing effective UX/UI for websites, landing pages, and user-focused product strategies
• Development & QA: Providing consultancy on UX/UI performance, accessibility issues and integrating design into agile processes
• Application Maintenance (FullAM): Supporting continuous improvement of existing application experiences
• Any Team: Offering guidance, training (Design Thinking, HCD), and support for anyone aiming to investigate, understand, and design based on user needs

References:

• All images in this article have been extracted from Daft Punk’s short film “Electroma” - https://youtu.be/0faPZ8fv3Cs