There’s a concern being voiced, sometimes seriously, sometimes half in jest that AI is quietly taking control. Not through force, or sci-fi style dominance but through convenience. That we’ll ultimately ask it to guide us, simply because it’s so good at doing what we need, faster, better and more impressively than we ever imagined.
But I think this view feels too zoomed in.
If we step back, we can see this moment not as the rise of a single technology, but as a key point in the digital information network we’ve spent decades building. A network where the members have always included both humans and machines. Until recently, humans were the sole creators and consumers, while machines stored, retrieved and distributed information.
Then came social media. Revealing the scale and speed at which content, true or false, constructive or destructive can travel. It also showed how engagement, not accuracy, became the signal the system learned from and amplified its efforts.
So here we are today and AI platforms are a part of this network as active contributors. We set their goals. They generate outcomes and content. Sometimes we co-create with them. Sometimes we outsource the task entirely.
But here’s the nuance: even when we’re working together, say, with a platform like ChatGPT, the input is still us. But we must be mindful this input is often shaped by what we’ve read, seen, heard, absorbed in a digital world that’s already been influenced by the last generation of AI-shaped content.
Then we take the outputs, they are sharper, slicker, more polished and we happily republish them back into the network. In doing so, we amplify patterns that may already be biased or superficial, further shaping culture, expectations, even belief systems.
It’s an incredible experience. It’s powerful, slick and frictionless. And that’s exactly why it's potentially a huge problem.
If we keep pursuing seamless creation without purposeful interruption, we risk training ourselves and our audiences to stop asking questions. To accept the polished output at face value. To smooth over what should be considered.
That’s why I believe friction must become an intentional part of modern UX, design and communication. Not because I’m resistant to progress but because we need to value what makes human communication meaningful: human judgment, challenge and the space to think.
Why design now needs resistance, not refinement
This is where the conversation and our practice must shift.
If anything can now be produced quickly and to a reasonably high standard, the value isn’t in creation alone. It’s in discernment, curation and strategic friction. Knowing when to question, when to pause and when to deliberately create friction within the process to restore substance.
This isn't just a creative issue. It’s a leadership issue. Because when AI can generate polished language, design and structure, what differentiates, is no longer how it looks but how deeply it’s been thought through.
As creators, consultants and strategists, we can no longer treat friction as something to remove.
We have to design it back in… as a discipline, not an inconvenience.
“What differentiates, is no longer how it looks but how deeply it’s been thought through.”
What does intentional friction look like?
At Jones + Palmer, we believe believability isn’t just what’s said or presented, it’s how well the thinking behind it holds up under scrutiny.
That’s why, during our exploration, design and creative development phases, we build intentional friction into the process. Not to obstruct understanding but to signal depth, expose assumptions and prompt stakeholder attention at the right moments.
Friction, in this context, is not inefficiency. It’s our guardrail. It’s what ensures when we co-create with AI it doesn’t just move fast but it moves with intent, insight and integrity.
In practice, this means we:
- go slow at key moments to challenge assumptions, not just confirm them
- introduce counterpoints to surface alternatives, not just amplify what’s probable
- create space for human judgment, ensuring the team, the client and the message all remain active participants in forming believability
The result isn’t just speed.
It’s content, strategy and design that feels distinct, deliberate and genuinely credible.
A mindset shift for modern creators and communicators
I’m not proposing we reject simplicity or frictionless experiences, they of course have their role and place. What I am highlighting is a need to reframe it.
The next generation of high-value creation will come from teams who understand:
- When to simplify and when to deepen
- When to accelerate and when to slow down
- When to polish and when to pause
Today, almost everything we read or hear feels credible. But with AI increasingly shaping what’s surfaced, shared and styled, we’re left with two extremes: heightened scepticism, or blind trust, especially when high engagement reinforces the message.
To be truly believable now and in the future, requires designing in friction. The kind that prompts both creators and audiences to pause, question and engage with intent.
More importantly, friction introduces a self-correcting force into the system. In a digital network shaped by AI platforms, social media and search engines, it resists the gathering of momentum and prevents the feedback loop from spiralling into pure repetition and blind scale. It ensures that difference can still surface, challenge can still land and human balance can still be restored.
Friction is no longer a fault in the experience, it's a feature.
As AI tools become embedded in our workflows, the challenge isn’t whether we use them, it’s how we shape the systems around them.
We can’t outsource critical thinking. But we can design for it.
In an age of scale and speed, friction isn’t a flaw in the user experience, it may be its most important safeguard.
About Jones + Palmer
At Jones + Palmer, we help enterprises become more investible through finding and expressing their most valuable stories. Our approach to reporting, digital, brand, employee engagement and stakeholder communication is rooted in insight, authenticity and clarity, supported by creative teams and smart systems where it matters most.
If you’d like to explore how we can make your business more investible through your communications, get in touch.
