Cloning Photoshop With AI Misses the Real Design Opportunity

Why Build a Smaller Tool Around the Work?

The author argues that cheap AI-assisted development has made cloning professional tools like Photoshop easy, yet the more valuable opportunity lies elsewhere. Instead of replicating a complex application, the piece suggests designers should ask which user tasks are poorly served and where people genuinely need creative control. It introduces the idea of overserved users, such as a marketer who makes occasional polished product videos and finds full editing suites excessive for the job.

For brand builders, the argument is a useful reminder that the strongest products often reduce the mental model rather than copy an incumbent. Tools like transcript-led audio and video editors show how controls organised around the work can feel simpler without losing precision. Product strategists, UX designers and anyone weighing a build-or-buy decision will find a clear framework here, and a sensible caution that new tools still need proper maintenance and support.