Someone can convert an idea into reality faster than ever before with the help of generative AI, and that makes the role of humans in the process even more important. “More is not always better. Faster is not always better,” said Emily Galloway, Spotify’s senior director of product design, at the New Rules of Great Design panel during the 2026 Fast Company Innovation Festival in New York City. “Human judgment is becoming so important.”
The cost of inventing something new has never been lower, which means the name of the game is discerning what is actually worth building, agreed Brooke Ellis, Block’s chief design officer.
Still, successful design launches do not have to begin with a human problem that needs solving. If the product is technology-first, though, designers need to be careful that it doesn’t feel cold. One example? Spotify’s AI DJ, which launched in 2023.
The idea was for the DJ to feel like a companion that walks users through the songs on their playlists. But to resemble a true pal rather than a robotic interruption, the voice mattered. So Spotify modeled the voice after one of its employees, Xavier Jernigan. He already had the music and curatorial bona fides, plus podcasting experience. He gave the entire project a human veneer, even if it was powered by technology.
Using generative AI in the process means that people have to design a broader system for their products rather than prescribe every output, said Galloway. To ensure that goes well, she said, is a matter of putting the right group of humans alongside the machines. So for AI DJ, they created what she described as a “writer’s room,” a mix that includes writers, experts in culture and music, and engineers, to work alongside generative technology.
While a music app feels like an obvious place to use AI, a century-old athletic attire company is less so. Still, Brooks Running is figuring out ways to incorporate technology to personalize its offerings for customers. But it’s tricky. “People come to running in many ways because it’s the ultimate human endeavor—it’s the way to get away from the digital world,” said Carson Caprara, chief product officer at Brooks Running. Still, the company used AI to analyze how one runner moved through space, so he could beat the world record mile time.
“We are able in eight months to create a spike that was made just for that event on that day in London a month ago,” Caprara said. Josh Kerr is now the world record holder. “If that can mean a world record for Josh, what could this mean for everyday runners?”
But sometimes, an idea for a product comes from zigging when others zag—to come up with a complete novelty. That’s how Ellis, of Block, described the Cash App Wand, which is a toy-like shiny wand with a gem-encrusted star that a person waves to pay for something. The motivation, per Ellis, is to “bring whimsy and personalization and style into the payment process.” It doesn’t necessarily solve a problem, but it makes a rote activity feel more playful. It sold out in 10 minutes, she added.
The future of good design, Ellis says, is all about leaving space for humans to imagine.