Working with AI
Updated 30th July 2026.
Clients trust me with ideas, commercial information and important creative decisions. As new technologies become part of creative work, I think it's only fair to explain how I decide when they have a place in a project. Artificial intelligence is one of those technologies. Like any professional tool, it has strengths, limitations and responsibilities. Over the last 25 years I've seen creative tools evolve constantly. Some have fundamentally changed the way I work. Others have quietly disappeared.
The tools continue to change, but the way I approach my work has remained remarkably consistent. I try to understand what you're trying to achieve, ask the questions that matter and make thoughtful creative decisions that move a project forward. AI has become part of that process where I believe it genuinely adds value. When it doesn't, I simply don't use it.
The role AI plays
AI helps me research unfamiliar subjects, organise information, explore ideas, solve technical problems and speed up parts of my workflow. It can also challenge my own thinking by offering another perspective or helping me test an idea from a different angle.
Depending on the project, I may use it to prepare for discovery sessions, summarise meetings or documents, improve early drafts, generate reference imagery, explore visual directions or solve technical challenges during website development. It can also help automate routine administration, leaving me with more time for the parts of a project that benefit most from experience, collaboration and careful thinking.
Choosing the right tool
The value I bring has never been tied to a particular piece of software. It's understanding what you're trying to achieve and deciding how best to get there.
Sometimes AI is the right tool. Sometimes a sketchbook, a whiteboard, a conversation or simply spending longer thinking produces a better result. Every project is different, and I choose the tools I believe are most appropriate rather than using AI by default.
Sometimes the best decision is not to introduce another tool at all. Slowing down, asking another question or having another conversation often leads to a better outcome than reaching for technology.
Understanding your business, developing strategy, challenging assumptions, building relationships and making creative decisions remain my responsibility throughout every project.
Looking after your information
Wherever practical, I remove names, company details and other identifying information before using AI. I avoid uploading confidential or sensitive material unless it's genuinely necessary for the work, and for particularly sensitive projects I may decide not to use AI at all.
Different AI services handle information in different ways. That's one of the reasons I don't treat every AI tool as interchangeable. I choose the services I use carefully, taking into account privacy, security and whether they're appropriate for professional client work. If I don't believe a service meets the standard I'd expect for client projects, I won't use it.
Where possible, I remove uploaded files once they're no longer needed. No online service is completely risk-free, so if I don't believe AI is appropriate for a particular piece of work or information, I simply won't use it.
Responsibility
AI can misunderstand context, invent information and produce convincing answers that are simply wrong. That's why I don't treat its output as finished work.
Everything I deliver is reviewed, edited and refined by me. Where accuracy matters, I verify important information using reliable sources rather than relying on AI alone. If something carries my name or the Studio Aitch name, I'm accountable for it.
Working openly
If AI plays a meaningful role in a project, I'm happy to explain how it's been used.
Some clients prefer AI not to be used at all. Others actively encourage it. If you have particular requirements because of confidentiality, regulation or internal policy, we can discuss that at the outset and agree an approach that works for everyone.
If I work with trusted associates, they're expected to follow the same standards around confidentiality, responsible use of AI and the quality of the work we deliver.
Using AI doesn't change the ownership of the work I create for clients. Intellectual property and usage rights remain exactly as set out in my standard terms and conditions.
Technology and the wider picture
AI is increasingly becoming part of everyday software. Whether you're searching the web, editing a photograph, writing an email or using design tools, there's a good chance AI is already involved in some way.
Like any digital technology, those services rely on data centres, computing power, energy and water. AI isn't unique in that respect, although some forms of AI require significantly more resources than traditional software.
As a business that operates on a carbon neutral basis, I don't choose technology simply because it's available. I use it where it genuinely improves the work, removes repetitive tasks or helps solve a problem more effectively.
That applies just as much to AI as it does to any other software I use. Every tool should earn its place in the process.
Keeping this up to date
The technology will continue to evolve, and so will the tools I choose to use.
I'll keep learning, testing and adapting where new technology genuinely improves the quality of my work or the experience I provide for clients. I'll also review this page from time to time as technology, regulation and client expectations evolve.
The principles behind those decisions are much less likely to change. I'll continue to protect client information, apply my own judgement, be open about how I work and adopt new technology when I believe it genuinely improves the work.