HONOR Talents Awards and the AI dilemma: Would you give a gun to a toddler?

In the crisp December night air of Helsinki, at the Bio Rex cinema, a prime example of 1930s functionalist architecture, technology brand HONOR staged the first European edition of its Talents Global Design Awards. It was born as an “incubator of innovation,” but beneath the showcase of young talent, a deeper question loomed: Can we trust AI? Since its launch in 2020, the competition has received over 34,000 submissions from 240 institutions across 47 nations. Themed “Christmas in a Nordic Wonderland,” the Christmas 2024 Special Edition Awards revealed how seamlessly AI is entering the artistic process. Spain’s Roberto Gandia Torro, who took home the top honor for his piece Protect of Nature, an AI enhanced depiction of pandas as environmental guardians. Yet, for all the applause and accolades, the event crackled with unease about where this path might lead.

The awards were accompanied by a thought-provoking panel discussion that delved into the intersection of design, AI, and human creativity. Local design legend Yrjö Sotamaa, Emeritus Professor and co-founder of Aalto University, framed the conversation within a historical context, noting how previous technological revolutions expanded the boundaries of design. He referenced the “parametrical revolution” in architecture and the works of Zaha Hadid, Frank Gehry, and others. Maria Ritola, co-founder of Iris.ai, posed a provocative challenge, comparing AI’s rise to the Industrial Revolution and questioning what remains of human identity when mental labor is outsourced to machines. Ulla-Maaria Koivula, CEO of ThingLink, and Umberto Onza, GenAI & Product Design Director, also contributed to the discussion.

Futurist, author, and Finlandia Prize nominee Perttu Pölönen—HONOR Awards keynote speaker and host—later met Domus to further discuss the promise and peril of AI. His main point is that we shouldn’t just be asking if we can trust AI, but whether we can trust ourselves with AI. “When technology evolves, it forces us to redefine our relationship to good and bad, right and wrong, natural and unnatural,” he explained. “And right now, AI is giving us an identity crisis. It pushes us to think: What is left for us when intelligence, knowledge, and information are no longer uniquely human?”

Perttu Pölönen

Pölönen describes AI as an accelerator. “It boosts creativity, productivity, and efficiency. But we have to ask ourselves: Toward what are we accelerating?” More speed doesn’t always mean more progress, and this acceleration needs direction, boundaries, and wisdom. His analogy landed with quiet intensity: “Would I give a nail gun to a toddler? No. AI is 100 times more efficient and diverse. We need regulations, safety measures, and guidelines. Just like we created traffic lights and seat belts when cars came along, we need to establish the traffic laws of AI.” Pölönen also warned of the risk of technological polarization. “Some of us benefit daily from AI, while others are left behind. It’s not just a social divide—it’s a geographical one.” As Pölönen points out, all the major AI-powered systems we access today were developed by private companies. “The US innovates, China scales, and Europe regulates,” he noted, adding that if there was a place where a “public” AI would likely have emerged, that is in Europe—but it didn’t happen, and that explains a lot about the world we're living in.

He also urges designers to think critically about AI’s role in their work. “AI should strengthen our cognitive abilities, not replace them. Our attention spans are shrinking while the world’s problems are growing more complex. We need better thinking skills, not worse.”

Education and ethics are important in shaping AI’s trajectory. “When social media emerged, we didn’t talk enough about ethics. We now have a second chance with AI to get it right—to address these issues upfront.”, says Pölönen, adding the reminder that accountability is crucial. “If an engineer builds a faulty bridge, it collapses. But if an AI engineer makes a mistake, where does it collapse? We need clear accountability for AI’s development and its consequences.” The young artists who participated wielded AI like any other tool. Their work may not have been a definitive masterpiece, but it offered a glimpse of what lies ahead. As Pölönen noted, AI isn’t just a partner; it’s a player in its own right. The real question isn’t whether we can trust AI, but one that has haunted humanity for ages: can we trust ourselves?