AI doesn’t have to replace human collaboration—it can amplify it. We use AI strategically to bring more voices into problem-solving conversations. The goal isn’t efficiency alone; it’s using AI to give teams more time and confidence for the work only humans can do.
There’s a lot of talk right now about everything AI will take from us: jobs, creativity, even human connection. It’s not so hard to imagine a future where we all speak to machines while avoiding eye contact with one another. But another path deserves equal attention. AI can also create more space for collaboration. Used intentionally, it can bring more voices together and create even stronger user-driven experiences. To drive this collaboration, we first need to get better at knowing when (and how) to use AI in our processes.
At Sparkbox, we approach AI the same way we do any tool in our toolbox. We begin by asking if we are solving the right problem, identifying who we are solving it for, determining how we will measure impact, identifying the best tools at our disposal, and establishing necessary guardrails. The goal when we use AI in our process is not to replace human interaction. The goal is to amplify human interaction.
More Voices, Sooner
Successful digital products are built by teams that work well together and discuss challenges openly and often. The more quickly we can identify the true problem space and begin to surface ideas, the sooner we can land on the right solution, not just the obvious one. Not all team members on a project are tasked with this initial problem-solving step, but what if they could be? AI can help by lowering the barrier to participation in these initial conversations.
Think about a developer who has a rough idea for a new interaction but feels intimidated about sketching. Or a PM who sees a workflow improvement but struggles to draw it. Today these teammates can prompt an AI visualizer to create a quick mock. It won’t be perfect, and it doesn’t need to be. But it can create a concrete starting point for a real conversation. The room fills with ideas sooner, and feedback becomes more specific. Designers or UX practitioners can then guide the team on what makes a concept truly usable and accessible.
I can already hear the question coming, “But why do we want more people in this step?” Because innovation thrives on perspective. Side-by-side options can be compared and refined. And the conversation moves from vague descriptions to tangible discussions. We spend less time trying to understand each other and more time problem-solving together.
Because innovation thrives on perspective.
Pushing Past The First Idea
The first idea is rarely the last one; it’s just the most obvious. We almost always have to dig a little deeper for the right solution. It’s important for a human team to start the ideation, as we have context that AI does not. However, AI can help us iterate beyond our initial ideas, by proposing user flows or generating edge cases we might miss. The value is not that AI is always right. The value lies in challenging our own “boxes.” I have found that in most cases, AI doesn’t have the solution, but it may spark an idea.
Clearer Handoffs Between Design and Development
Every team has felt the pain of a rushed production sprint. Design assets are late Friday afternoon. Annotations are light. Component names are inconsistent. Developers have to guess more than they should. Small misses pile up and everyone feels the stress. A messy design to dev handoff can lead to frustrating conversations or lots of questions needing to be answered before they can get started. Utilizing AI in this step allows for conversations to be shorter and more focused on harder decisions. The design to dev handoff has never been perfect, but a clean file is a great place to start.
Meetings That Create More Participation
A small but meaningful shift we have made is to let AI act as a meeting scribe. There are many tools that can assist with transcribing, summarizations, tagging decisions, and the creation of next steps, however we have selected Granola. Although all team members have experienced the benefits to this meeting addition, it has the greatest value to our project managers. Instead of splitting attention between conversation and note-taking, they can facilitate more actively, ask better questions, and watch for signals that a topic needs more attention. Afterward, the summary provides a record for reference.
What About Real Life?
There are plenty of examples that highlight the value of AI in professional interactions, and I’ve experienced similar patterns in real life. I recently worked with a physical therapist who was exploring how my “frozen shoulder” injury responded to different treatments. She listened closely, noted how I pushed past the pain further than I should for quick success, and entered those details into her system. Her tool allowed for better, more efficient care. While we were talking, the tool suggested a broader set of options she had not yet considered. We tried a revised plan that fit both my physical limits and her understanding of how hard I should push myself. The result was that we had time to check in more often, make adjustments more quickly, and see progress faster than expected. When AI adds context and choices, people talk more and make better decisions together.
The Point Is People
AI will keep moving quickly, and new tools will come and go. Just as they always have. When we build AI into our processes with care, we can get more of what we need from each other. More participation. More clarity. More time for the work that only humans can do.
Before your next sprint, ask your team one question. Where could AI give us back time or confidence so that we can have a better conversation? Choose one place to experiment. Share what you learn. Then do it again. That’s how we utilize AI to help build products that connect with humans.
We’re in the early stages of AI integration and it’s exciting to see the possibilities that lie ahead. It’s important to remember that using AI to increase (rather than avoid) human connection is a responsibility that lies with each of us. As our owner, Rob Harr, reminds us: the future won’t be built by machines. It will be built by people who know how to use them well.
