10 Commandments of Good Design for the AI Era

Design has always been about solving problems, but in the AI era the responsibility gets bigger. Technology moves fast, products learn on their own, and the impact of design stretches across whole systems, not just single users. The old frameworks, like Dieter Rams’ famous “10 Commandments of Good Design”, were groundbreaking in their time, but they were written in a very specific context: 50 years ago, by a German industrial designer.

Today, design has to evolve. It can’t just be about aesthetics or convenience. It has to be about equity, responsibility, and shaping how intelligent products affect people’s lives. Below are ten principles reimagined for an AI-driven world.

1. Good design solves hard problems

Design talent should be focused on meaningful issues, access to water, food, healthcare, education, not just tiny tweaks to icons. The purpose of design is to make life better in tangible ways.

2. Good design promotes healthy relationships

We’re no longer designing only for one person and one device. AI connects drivers, cars, cyclists, whole systems. Good design makes those relationships work together instead of colliding.

3. Good design requires malleability

In an AI world, design has to adapt. Products need to flex, change, and feel personal. Beauty isn’t fixed, it’s in how experiences adjust to different people in real time.

4. Good design makes companies understand and products serve people

Products should be built from real human needs, not just marketing dreams. With all the data available, there’s no excuse for people to feel misunderstood or underserved.

5. Good design acknowledges bias

Bias doesn’t disappear when we ignore it. Designers have to actively face it, bring diverse voices into the room, and design processes that aim for fairness.

6. Good design prevents dishonesty

It’s not enough to “be honest.” Design has to fight against manipulation, dark patterns, and harmful uses of AI. That means asking tough questions and refusing to let “98% accuracy” hide the 2% that could do harm.

7. Good design expects unintended consequences

AI products evolve. The system you launch today won’t be the same a year from now. Good design assumes things will go wrong, prepares “outs,” and creates safeguards before problems scale.

8. Good design fosters equity

Equity doesn’t just happen. Designers have to deliberately build it into AI systems, challenging unfair defaults and rethinking how power and opportunity are distributed.

9. Good design considers its effect on the collective ecosystem

Every design choice affects more than one group. Good design looks beyond “the user” and considers cultures, communities, environments, and plural ways of living.

10. Good design purposefully brings order to chaos

AI creates speed and complexity, but design can’t be neutral in the face of that. Designers have to bring intention, widen the perspectives in the room, and actively shape order in ways that benefit people, not just markets.

Final Thought

Design in the AI era isn’t just about making things look good or easy to use. It’s about taking responsibility for the outcomes of powerful technology. These 10 commandments shift design from a passive role into an active one, shaping a future that’s fair, flexible, and human.