With the impending World Design Congress and continual rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI), IP is the critical link between green skills, ethical AI and the future for design, according to ACID.
Dids MacDonald, ACID’s Co-Founder and Chair is at the helm of campaigning for designers’ rights in AI.
"Though AI tools can accelerate ideation and problem-solving, without IP awareness, designers risk losing control over their creations or infringing on others’ rights without the right guardrails in place," says Dids. "Linking AI and IP is critical to upskilling one million designers, so they can confidently innovate, navigate ownership issues and harness AI’s potential responsibly. Together, AI and IP literacy empower designers to deliver sustainable, equitable, and commercially viable solutions for the planet."
The link between IP and green skills is undeniable, so much so that ACID has appointed a Sustainability Ambassador, Carl Henrik-Andersson; a young designer who, through his own business and design ventures, advocates the importance of IP in future-proofing green skills and design longevity.
Not only is Carl the winner of this year’s YPIE ACID award, he is founder of Category Furniture, which develops creative solutions to prevent furniture from going to landfill.
“For the design industry to become more sustainable, we must first protect Intellectual Property," says Carl. "ACID and I both recognise this and share the same vision of eradicating design theft. This is key to promoting more sustainable design practices within design industries, as it enables designers and inventors to benefit from their work, hopefully inspiring the next generation to innovate further.”
There are many ways in which sustainability and IP are interlinked, with Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Environmental Social Governance (ESG) bringing green, sustainable strings to designers’ bows for future-proofed brand protection strategies.
