At Upspire Labs, we’re not anti-AI, and we’re definitely not all-in either.

We’re somewhere in the middle—curious, careful, and completely intentional about how we use the tools available to us.

Because for us, creative work isn’t about faster outputs or infinite variations. It’s about clarity, craft, and solving the right problems—intelligently.

We use AI when it helps us explore ideas faster, think wider, or stretch a budget without sacrificing the outcome. We use it to research topics we’re unfamiliar with, uncover blind spots in a competitive landscape, or build out smart information architectures before a single line is written. We even let it fix our grammar from time to time. (Thanks, AI.)

We use AI to enhance the work—not to define it. It helps us storyboard motion that would otherwise be cost-prohibitive. It lets us generate bespoke, fantastical imagery without relying on generic stock. It turns “what if?” into “look at this.”

But there’s a clear line we don’t cross.

We don’t use AI to write to our clients. Every message, every recommendation, every piece of feedback—that’s human. Always.

We don’t use it to design logos. There are too many subtle details, too many judgment calls, too much value in the tension and the time it takes to get it exactly right.

We don’t use AI to replace mentoring. Junior designers deserve the space to struggle and grow. That’s where creative instinct is built.

And we never hand off final work without putting our hands—and eyes—on every detail. No matter how smart the tool is, the taste, the thinking, the final call… that’s still all human.

We believe the future of creative work isn’t about choosing between AI and people. It’s about knowing when to lean into each—and why.

That’s how we work.