Recent technological advances are challenging established conventions for creating, managing and communicating expertise. Technology is central to many occupations—social communities comprised of knowledge workers who act as gatekeepers to expert domains. The creative industries are full of such communities experiencing transformation in their work due to the increasing accessibility and computing power of artificial intelligence (AI). Nonetheless, the specificity of traditional AI technology has, hitherto, not heavily impacted creative workers. That was until the latest development in AI. Generative AI is different. Unlike traditional AI—designed to perform specific tasks—generative AI has a general intelligence with broad capabilities that can imitate inherent human knowledge and expertise. This research examines the dynamic pace of change and capability brought by generative AI by drawing on first-hand accounts from 100 in-depth interviews with design experts. An affordances lens is employed to examine and explain the space between designers and generative AI to understand the acceptance and use of the technology and its impact on their expertise and daily work. The proximity of expertise is introduced to theorise when, where, and how designers use generative AI in their daily work and to help predict its acceptance and use. It also provides a fertile foundation for future enquiry into creating, managing, and communicating expertise.
