How Design Business Leaders turn Gen AI into a value engine

A quick reality check

Recently I ran a masterclass for eighty design leaders during a Creative Industries conference in Vienna. When I asked the following questions, I got this reaction from the room:

“Who uses Gen AI daily?” Almost every hand went up.
“Who uses Gen AI as a thought or sparring partner?” Half of the hands went up.
“Who has monetized Gen AI?” Two lonely hands.

The billing suprise

Imagine you’ve just hit “send” on a concept presentation that normally takes three days—Gen AI did it in thirty minutes. Your client answers within the hour: “Great, can we see the first concepts by Thursday?”
Speed feels exhilarating - until you realise you’ve cut six billable hours out of the budget without adding a euro of value to the invoice.

You’re not alone. 83 % of Creatives already use Gen AI in their daily work, according to blog.adobe.com, yet only a small portion apply it strategically, according to Figma. Most design leaders are experimenting, not yet monetizing Gen AI.

From experimentation to strategy

Europe shows the risk of staying in experimental mode: it produces 21 % of Gen AI research papers but files just 2 % of global Gen AI patents. Insight without monetisation equals fragility. EU Wetenschapscentrum

Meanwhile 328 000+ people earn a living in EU design studios and small and medium sized enterprises. eismea.ec.europa.eu. If they all knock 30 % off project time but keep hourly pricing, margins evaporate overnight.

Business model shifts

In my conversations with Design leaders, Design researchers and thought leaders from other industries, I noticed shifts that innovators and early adopters showcase:

(1) From Input to Outcome

Move from the old thinking "We sell hours" to the new thinking "We create outcomes". Start by re-pricing one service around the value it creates for your client, not the time it takes you. Ask about the outcome the service creates, and how it contributes to the business strategy of your client.

(2) From Tools to Systems

Move from a tools and efficiency focus to a systemic approach that combines tools, workflows and agents. Investigate into local and proprietary solutions to insource the intellectual capital spent for building systems. Use proven processes and structures for stepwise automation.

(3) From Project to Partnership

Instead of focusing on projects, look for ongoing and long-term business opportunities with your existing and new clients. Consider building a retainer or subscription model that offers valuable outcomes for your clients, allowing for interactive fine-tuning of the strategic partnership.

Human brilliance

Gen AI is phenomenal at remixing patterns, but it still stumbles on:

Catching weak cultural signals in messy contexts
Flipping a fuzzy business challenge into a sharp design brief
Injecting ethics, nuance and meaning

Your edge isn’t production—it’s interpretation. That’s what clients will still pay for next year. In a recent article by leadership expert Axel Unger, three major human capabilties to focus on are suggested: Context, Conscience, and Connection.

The takeaway

Gen AI is already shrinking the time between idea and delivery. Whether it shrinks or grows your margin and profit depends on one thing: how fast you adapt your business model. Did you integrate Gen AI in your value proposition, in your revenue stream / pricing and strategy?