Pentagram's controversial new website could change the AI art debate

We've seen generative AI embraced by countless big brands, often with controversial results. From Adobe to Disney, corporations have been keen to be seen adopting the tech, but the design community itself has met it with much more scepticism – so Pentagram's recent foray into flagrant AI use came as something of a surprise within the industry.

Pentagram, the world's largest independent design consultancy, last week launched a new website for Performance.gov, a platform designed to help the public track the strategies and performance of the Federal Government. But while the use of Midjourney to aid the design has provoked a heated response, Pentagram partner Paula Scher has openly stood by the decision.

The project involved creating over 1,500 icons, which was where generative AI came in. As Paula Scher explained to Fast Company, "My argument about this, and where the differential is, is that the definition of design in the dictionary is ‘a plan,” says Scher. “We created a plan, and it was based around the fact this would be self-sustaining, and therefore was not a job for an illustrator. If someone else wants to draw 1,500 icons every other week, they can do that.” She adds, "The whole notion of the site was to correct (government bureaucracy) by creating a site that could run all by itself."

In other words, Scher is unapologetic about the use of AI, despite the amount of disgusted reactions to the project online. "This is terrible and I cant believe the US government would be ok displacing artists with technology that stole from artists to even function at capacity," one X user comments, while another adds, "It's truly disheartening that the great Paula Scher and a company like you, Pentagram, are stealing from artists, designer and creative folks."

But for some, the use of the tech by a renowned agency such as Pentagram signals a shift towards a world where generative AI and traditional artistic craft can co-exist. As Mia Blume writes on Substack, "Yes, AI can replicate certain aspects of craft—textures, shapes, even styles—but it can’t replace the nuanced decision-making, conceptual depth, or emotional resonance that human designers bring to their work. Instead, it offers a new way to engage with creativity, one that challenges us to rethink our processes and redefine what it means to be a designer in a world where tools like Midjourney exist... [Pentagram is] showing us how a tool often dismissed as a shortcut can, in the hands of skilled practitioners, enhance rather than diminish the craft."

Judging by the overall tone of the response to Pentagram's project, it's far too early to suggest we've reached a 'new normal' whereby AI can happily supplement a designer's standard workflow. But while the outrage is there, the very fact that an agency with the heritage of Pentagram has opted to openly use MidJourney demonstrates that we're entering a new era of AI discourse. Whether history will judge Pentagram's move as pioneering or pathetic remains to be seen, but it's certainly moved the needle on the great AI art debate.