The idea of progress

Design ideas are intrinsically linked to the Western idea of progress and the 4 industrial revolutions, from the end of the 18th century to present-day (mechanical revolution, mass production, digital automation and industry 4.0). That is, in evolutionary terms, progress built on the assumption of gradual, continuous change - a self-driven, purposeful and cumulative process. However, since late twentieth-century, the idea of progress has increasingly come under scrutiny as a result of the environmental and social consequences of free-market policies. And so, with industry 4.0, the question is now how AI systems will impact the idea of progress in the perspective of economic and social development, particularly when the effects of AI remain uneven among jobs and economies as exemplified by the introduction of humanoid AI robots. Positively, AI may renew and reaffirm the idea of progress as experimental technology turns into operational technology in homes, offices and on factory floors  However, the uncertainty or disruption triggered by AI - revolution or evolution (?), may erode the historical foundations for the belief in progress as a human force for good. To consider future direction and impact of AI on society at large, understanding how it is used, and why is as important as measuring how widely it is adopted.

Ideas looking for a problem

From loudmouthed AI chatbots to ridiculous e-commerce product summaries, “AI slop”, which is defined as low-quality and generally unwanted AI-generated content, reached a new peak in 2025. Indeed AI-generated articles now make up more than half of all English-language content on the web, according to search engine optimisation firm Graphite. And so, in AI slop environments, designers find  themselves under commercial pressure 'to start from the solution and work backwards to find the problem', say researchers at Nielsen Norman Group. That is, product designers have been tasked with integrating AI almost anywhere and everywhere even when it might make little sense. And so, there has been a reaction against the amount of AI slop spreading on the web although, as the research suggests the tide seems to be turning against AI slop making way for more intentional product design and strategy that focuses on impact. If so, more intentional product design, given he impact of AI, suggests that designers will need to argue their case for what their skills contribute to projects. Interestingly, working backwards from problem to solution has a parallel in the found object art, that is, a non-art item or ordinary manufactured objects is designated as art, as exemplified by Marcel Duchamp's "readymades". André Breton, the co-founder of surrealism, defined a readymade as a ‘manufactured object raised to the dignity of works of art through the choice of the artist'. And so, Duchamp put his idea about the object and then calling it art.  Readymades are considered a viable artist practice although still open to questioning.