AI Dribbles, Humans Dunk

If you’ve ever played Suno tracks for kids or younger folks, you know the reaction before they even say it. They give you that look.

“That’s AI.”

Doesn’t matter how clean it sounds or how good the production is. They just know. Something in the vibe feels off. Too perfect. Too polished. Not enough soul.

And the same thing is already happening in design.

The AI Design Glow-Up Is Real… But So Are The Tells

Google Gemini 3 dropped their new design updates and the internet is losing its mind over how good the UI generation is getting. Replit introduced their new Design Mode and the screenshots look like they were pulled straight out of a Dribbble mood board.

Fast. Clean. Stylish. Genuinely impressive.

But here’s the part no one is saying out loud.

AI-generated design has a vibe. And it’s becoming more recognizable by the day.

Just like AI music has a pattern to it, AI design has its own tell-tale signs:

• Everything is smooth and safe
• Colors are mathematically “right” but emotionally flat
• Layouts feel familiar, almost templated
• Spacing is perfect in a way only a machine could love
• Nothing feels risky, weird, or truly expressive

It’s the kind of stuff that makes you say, “Yeah… looks good,” but never “Whoa, that’s us.”

AI Raises the Floor. Humans Raise the Brand.

AI is phenomenal at producing good-looking UI. It’s the new minimum viable design.

But great design? The kind that builds identity, attracts believers, and makes someone feel something?

That still comes from taste. From tension. From personality. From someone who knows how to break the rules instead of just following patterns.

At Sightbox, we’re already hearing this from founders using AI tools:

The mockups look nice, but they don’t feel like us.

Exactly.

Clean UI is not brand. Matching a layout isn’t the same as matching your energy. And “ship-ready screens in 20 seconds” won’t tell your story.

Good Vibes Aren’t Enough. You Need Soul.

AI will keep getting better. No doubt.

But it will also keep giving everything the same vibe unless someone steps in and shapes the soul of it. That’s what creatives bring. Designers. Brand people. Storytellers. The weirdos with taste.

The stuff you can’t template. The stuff you can’t predict. The stuff Gen Z can feel in three seconds.

AI can give you a vibe. Humans create identity.

And the brands that win in this next chapter will be the ones who know the difference.