There are two prevailing attitudes toward AI in creative circles: the apocalyptic and the dismissive. Somewhere between “it’s coming for your job” and “I don’t even want to talk about it” lies a middle ground where AI can genuinely assist agencies in working faster and smarter without compromising the creative process.

This isn’t about replacing designers. And no, it’s not about letting ChatGPT generate your next brand system. It’s about using AI as a tool to expedite the mundane tasks, reduce repetition, and clear the runway so your team can focus on the meaningful work.

Here’s what we’ve learned about where AI fits into the design-dev workflow and where it absolutely doesn’t.

At Splice, we use Claude and other AI tools to handle repetitive or time-consuming tasks: cleaning up commit messages, writing rough page structure code, even auditing site content for accessibility flags. That saves our team hours we can reinvest into solving harder problems like complex integrations or custom feature builds.

It also lets us stay lean without burning out our people. Which means better pricing, more time for strategic thinking, and a development partner who can keep up without cutting corners.

AI isn’t magic. It’s not going to design your next award-winning website. But used thoughtfully, it can make the work smoother. Faster. Sometimes even better.

We’re not afraid of AI. We see it as a necessary evolution in how creative and technical teams work. The real opportunity lies in using these tools to elevate human performance, not replace it. Done right, AI can reduce burnout, free up mental space, and give people more time to do the meaningful, creative work that still needs a human touch.

And if that means your team has more space to focus on the creative, that’s a win for everyone.

Want help integrating AI tools into your workflow? Or just curious about what we’re using? Get in touch — we're happy to share what we've learned.