Content professionals must embrace AI. AI can help with a number of tasks, such as automatic updates, content improvement, quick translation, writing of ALT texts, optimising for SEO, and analysing user behaviour.

Moreover, AI is not just a tool but a collaborative partner that can help streamline editorial work. Notice that I say collaborative partner—because critical and strategic human thinking is still essential. But using AI can make content achieve higher quality and be created more efficiently.

1. Artificial intelligence (AI)

In the past, we searched very broadly when looking for information. For example, if we had to lookup “chickenpox” in an encyclopedia, we would read multiple pages before finding the right information. Now however, we’re used to using specific search phrases like “child with red spots and fever” and expect to find precisely what is relevant to us. This requires that we structure content effectively and provide multiple entry points to the same core content.

Reusing content segments across pages builds credibility and makes updates easier. For example, "symptoms of chickenpox" can be a content segment used in an article about chickenpox, a list of childhood illnesses, and a page about skin conditions. This segment becomes a "single source of truth" - if you update it in one place, it updates everywhere on the different frontends where it’s published. This enhances credibility and keeps content consistently accurate.

2. Structured content

Closely linked to content design, conversation design has emerged from Silicon Valley, where services like Siri and Alexa have shaped its direction.

 creates natural dialogues between users and digital systems, such as chatbots and voice assistants. It involves understanding user needs, structuring conversations, adapting tone and style, handling technical limitations, and refining interactions based on feedback.

Conversation design is a deeper understanding of how people want to interact with AI, and the psychology behind how people respond to choices and constraints. Moreover, it’s about understanding what the technological solution that the conversation is designed on can offer. Good conversation design bridges the gap between technology and humans, ensuring that AI systems feel intuitive and natural to use.

Conversation design will play an important role in many interfaces in the future, both spoken and written. It will be particularly important for us as content designers to recognise this so that we can keep up with and lead this development.

3. Conversation design

 and accessibility are both legally required and more important than ever. Now it's time we take a major step toward clearer, more inclusive content.

4. Inclusive content

Are you unsure about how to start with plain language and accessibility on your digital platforms? Now is the time to act. If you snooze, you lose.

Artificial Intelligence, combined with human understanding of emotions, psychology, and strategy, will play a key role in content design in the years to come. By automating time-consuming tasks and analysing user data, AI can help meet user needs more precisely and efficiently. This requires us to stay sharp and apply critical thinking. The result? A better digital experience for everyone.

In short, artificial intelligence will play a key role in content design, along with human understanding of emotions, psychology, willingness to change and strategic thinking.

AI gives content designers and editors a powerful tool for creating user-friendly, plain-language, universally designed content. By automating time-consuming tasks and analysing user data in real time, AI can help meet user needs more accurately and efficiently. Meanwhile, we need to keep our heads on straight and apply critical thinking. The result can be better digital experiences for everyone - regardless of background, skills or preferences.

But it won't do much good if the technological solutions don't meet people where they are. As content designers, we have a unique opportunity to help create content that really makes a difference when technology and creativity come together.

Four content design trends