Working with AI feels like roulette — but UX helps you see the table.

In traditional systems, everything is predictable: click → result.
Behind each action there’s logic, data, and code.
UX doesn’t create “magic” there - it guides and protects.

Generative AI is different.
The same prompt may lead to brilliance or complete nonsense.
Here, probability replaces logic - and UX is what turns uncertainty into a manageable experience.

To design meaningful UX, we must understand the model’s nature.
AI doesn’t “know” facts - it predicts what’s likely next. It doesn’t check reality or meaning.
So the same input may give very different outputs.

That’s not a bug - it’s how probabilistic systems work.
But to a user with just a text box and “Generate” button, it feels unstable.

UX shouldn’t hide those limits - it should make them visible.
I explored this idea deeper in "Designing UX for AI tools: turning “magic” into clear expectations".

Good UX isn’t about comfort - it’s about alignment.
When results match expectations, users feel confident.

In traditional systems, the loop is simple:

action → predictable result → confidence

With AI, expectations are inflated - “it knows everything” - while the output is uncertain.
If the interface doesn’t explain the model’s boundaries, users feel deceived.

UX must calibrate expectations - show where AI is confident and where it’s guessing.
More on that - in “When AI Rules Change Between Products” and
Designing UX for AI tools: turning “magic” into clear expectations

One input box looks easy - but it puts all the cognitive load on the user.
Writing a good prompt is like writing a micro brief. Small changes in wording can flip the meaning completely.

UX should help people express intent, not guess formulas.

Generative AI doesn’t remove UX - it amplifies its importance.

Designers should ask:

• Who is the user - beginner or pro?
• What do they know about the model and the task?
• How much guidance do they need?
• What input format suits their context?
• Do they understand that AI is not consistent?

And beyond that - can the model itself explain its confidence and boundaries to users?

If not, UX must fill that gap.

Today, most models still can’t make partial changes - “keep this, adjust that.”
Yet this kind of interaction is what makes working with AI feel natural and fluid.

Even if it’s technically hard right now, it’s worth exploring how interfaces could support meaningful adjustments and dialogue - so that people feel they are guiding the process, not just pressing “generate again.”

Generative AI will always stay unpredictable.
But UX can turn that chaos into something usable, understandable, and trustworthy.

Without good UX, “magical” AI tools stay toys — impressive but fragile.
With good UX, they become instruments you can actually work with.

AI creates possibilities.
UX creates meaning.

Together, they create experience.