Sparkbox has always had a culture of learning and innovation.
It’s not something we do when it’s convenient or when a client asks us for it. It’s woven into who we are as a company and how we show up for every engagement. For nearly 17 years, we’ve been incorporating exploration and emerging technology into our process and team activities, not because it’s trendy, but because it directly benefits the people we work with.
This approach has served our client partners extremely well through major industry shifts. We navigated the responsive web design revolution. We helped clients build and scale design systems. We adapted as JS frameworks transformed how we build for the web. Each time, our curiosity and commitment to continuous learning have positioned us to help our client partners thrive.
Now we’re at another inflection point, and this shift feels bigger. With AI, we’re seeing a set of changes that may be the most significant since we’ve seen the beginning of the Internet. We don’t know everything that’s going to happen or where this is going, but we know that our industry needs to engage with these tools. We’re leaning into helping influence the direction that they take so we are still moving towards a better web. We feel a sense of responsibility to help guide the use of these new tools in a way that will serve users. Ultimately, our industry needs experts in the room where it happens.
Why AI, Why Now
Over the last several months, the requests have started coming in from clients and prospects: Universities. Manufacturing companies. Aviation companies. Technology companies. Healthcare. The list just keeps growing. These aren’t hypothetical conversations anymore. It feels like on every call, our clients and prospective clients bring up AI. They know they should be using it, even if they don’t know how or where to start. That’s a question we are helping them answer. We’re at a point now where AI can add real value to our clients and projects to help create a better web. There’s a lot of conversation about where the technology is going in the future, but I think there are places where it can already improve our work and our clients’ projects
Right now, AI can integrate with the solutions and services we’re already offering to allow our clients to leverage their own data to improve their use of AI. I believe that helping clients figure out how to plug AI into their existing systems can add immediate, tangible value.
I believe that if we don’t continue to learn and evolve with the industry, we will not be able to participate in the conversation or serve our clients well. I believe that everyone who wants to continue working on digital products will have to embrace AI. Learning how to work alongside it, or risk being replaced by those who will.
So said very succinctly: AI is not coming for our jobs. Experts who are good at partnering with AI will.
AI is not coming for our jobs. Experts who are good at partnering with AI will.
What Makes Sparkbox Different
Yes, we know, everyone seems to be talking about AI right now. What makes Sparkbox’s perspective unique is that we’re looking for places where AI can augment and empower current systems. But we don’t believe AI will replace humans. We believe, as we always have, that the future of the web is human.
We’re not promising that AI will solve all your problems. We understand this conversation is nuanced, and having nuanced conversations is one of Sparkbox’s most valuable strengths. There are some places where AI can absolutely help, and there are times where, yes, it’ll produce only slop. But again, it is only a tool, and I would argue that the slop that is created is the responsibility of the human driving the AI. Regardless, there’s an opportunity. There’s an opportunity to figure out how these tools can be useful and help humans focus on the problems only they can solve.
The Human Element
I’m long on humans. I always have been. Early on in my career that people where the reason for the project, not something that was impeding progress. The web is one of humanity’s greatest technological inventions. Humans are the ones the web is built for, who built the web, and who will continue to use the web going forward. They are an integral piece of what is needed, but that doesn’t mean how we will use the web isn’t going to change. This is why being a part of the conversation is so important. People are the reason all of this stuff exists. The most interesting part of every project is the people, and this does not change with AI.
AI is a tool, not a replacement for human creativity. The expertise that our industry has built creating user-driven experiences remains incredibly valuable. We believe that human expertise, when paired with AI, can help extend the reach of these experts, driving more efficient processes, products, and solutions to meet our clients’ ever-changing needs.
As our team member Leah wrote in a recent Foundry article, 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. The goal when we use AI in our process is not to replace human interaction. The goal is to amplify human interaction and expertise.
Wrestling With the Hard Questions
I’d be lying if I said this was simple or if there were easy answers. Concerns about the sustainability and environmental impact of AI are real and valid. I do think some of the sustainability concerns will result in better technology for electric generation, because necessity is the mother of invention.
The ethical concerns will have to be addressed through effective regulation.
Being part of that conversation allows Sparkbox and our team to shape how it will be used, in alignment with our values. We can’t sit this out. This is our moment to help shape the future.
AI is a tool, not a replacement for human creativity.
How We’re Moving Forward
The view on AI is pretty polarizing at the moment. There are people who believe that AI is the future, and there are people who believe that AI should be avoided.
One of the things that makes Sparkbox unique is that we look at the middle. We understand that most conversations are nuanced. The details matter. There are some places where AI can absolutely help, and there are some places where, yes, it’ll produce only slop. AI is only a tool, which means that if you want to do good, you can do more good. If you want to do bad or generate slop, you’ll have the efficiency and the ability to do more of it.
We’ve established an AI Expedition Team specifically focused on discovery and understanding what is possible, today and in the future. When we identify something that has the potential to be integrated into our process and client work, then it graduates from exploration into something a little more structured so it can be integrated into our workflows. We need to continue to learn and stay curious.
An Invitation
Two values that Sparkbox has always held are: we care about the marathon, not the sprint, and we are curious.
I’d like for everyone to keep an open mind about what’s possible. Not start with “does this work” or “does this not,” but “what if?” What could be possible with today’s technologies? What things could we add? What values could we bring?
I want to invite everyone reading this to keep an open mind. Be curious about what AI is today and where it’s going. Come join us at our UnConference in Q1, The Intersection of Human Expertise and AI, to see what we’re learning. We believe in an open web. We believe we got here by sharing what we know and continuing to learn from others. We don’t have all the answers, but we’re committed to asking the right questions. We’re committed to staying up to date on what is happening in this revolutionary time so we can influence and help shape the future for the good of the people.
The future won’t be built by machines. It will be built by people who know how to use them well.
Interested in learning more about how AI can help your team, or want to join the conversation about the intersection of human expertise and AI capabilities? We’d love to hear from you.
