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How exposed to AI is a Commercial and Industrial Designer?

Of the 17 tasks O*NET lists for commercial and industrial designers, 2 could be done in half the time with a chat window today. 4 cannot be sped up at all. Here is which.

Exposure means published research judged an AI could halve the time a task takes, at the same quality. It does not mean the task stops needing a person. How to read this

Also called
Design EngineerDesignerIndustrial DesignerMechanical DesignerMold DesignerProduct Design EngineerProduct DesignerProduct Development EngineerSign Designer
Reachable today Needs software built first Cannot be sped up
17
tasks rated for this occupation
68%
hold a degree, from a survey of only 16
28k
people do this job in the US
11 of 40
least protected in arts, design and media

Every task, and what AI can do with it

These are O*NET's task statements for this occupation, exactly as written, sorted into the three bands by the ratings behind this report. Nothing has been reworded.

Reachable with a chat window today

2
  • Develop industrial standards and regulatory guidelines
  • Advise corporations on issues involving corporate image projects or problems

Only with software built on top

11
  • Prepare sketches of ideas, detailed drawings, illustrations, artwork, or blueprints, using drafting instruments, paints and brushes, or computer-aided design equipment
  • Modify and refine designs, using working models, to conform with customer specifications, production limitations, or changes in design trends
  • Confer with engineering, marketing, production, or sales departments, or with customers, to establish and evaluate design concepts for manufactured products
  • Present designs and reports to customers or design committees for approval and discuss need for modification
  • Research production specifications, costs, production materials, and manufacturing methods and provide cost estimates and itemized production requirements
  • Direct and coordinate the fabrication of models or samples and the drafting of working drawings and specification sheets from sketches
  • Investigate product characteristics such as the product's safety and handling qualities, its market appeal, how efficiently it can be produced, and ways of distributing, using, and maintaining it
  • Participate in new product planning or market research, including studying the potential need for new products
  • Read publications, attend showings, and study competing products and design styles and motifs to obtain perspective and generate design concepts
  • Supervise assistants' work throughout the design process
  • Design graphic material for use as ornamentation, illustration, or advertising on manufactured materials and packaging or containers

Cannot be sped up

4
  • Evaluate feasibility of design ideas, based on factors such as appearance, safety, function, serviceability, budget, production costs/methods, and market characteristics
  • Develop manufacturing procedures and monitor the manufacture of their designs in a factory to improve operations and product quality
  • Fabricate models or samples in paper, wood, glass, fabric, plastic, metal, or other materials, using hand or power tools
  • Coordinate the look and function of product lines
What this does not say

This is not a prediction about your job

Nobody surveyed an employer. Tasks are counted equally, so a percentage here is a share of the list rather than a share of your week. And the ratings were made in 2023, which makes every figure a floor rather than a ceiling.

It must never be used to select anyone for redundancy. The full limits are here.

Where to go next

This is the standard task list for the title. The useful next question is which of the tasks you actually do should go near AI, and which should not.

Sort your own tasks Read the full report

Exposure ratings from Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin and Rock, GPTs are GPTs: Labor market impact potential of LLMs, Science 384, 1306–1308, 2024, used under the MIT licence. This page includes information from the O*NET Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. People Team AI has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Employment figures from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.