It seems like AI is everywhere right now.
Chatbots. Customer support bots. AI girlfriends and boyfriends. AI-generated images. AI writing songs, poems, resumes, love letters—and apparently even poetic tributes to the first person who eats bacon on the moon.
AI is showing up across businesses and services too. It can help you do your taxes. It can listen to your symptoms and suggest possible diagnoses. It can draft marketing copy, analyze data, and answer questions instantly.
All of that is impressive.
But it also deserves a little caution.
I’d still double-check that tax return. I’d still visit a real doctor if I didn’t feel well. And I’m fairly confident that moon-bacon poem isn’t winning any literary awards.
So where does that leave inventors?
Will AI Destroy Jobs… or Create Them?
I’ll be upfront: I’m firmly in the camp that AI will ultimately create more jobs and more fulfilling careers—not fewer.
I’m old enough to remember being told that computers would eliminate jobs. Then the internet was supposed to eliminate jobs. Then automation. Then outsourcing.
Each of those shifts did eliminate some jobs—but they also created entirely new industries, roles, and career paths that didn’t exist before. AI fits that same historical pattern.
It’s powerful. It’s disruptive.
And it’s not the end of human creativity, judgment, or ingenuity.
But Can AI Help You Invent?
This is the question that really matters.
Can AI help you invent something new?
Can it help you develop an invention?
Yes—it can help.
No—it cannot do it for you.
That distinction matters more than most people realize.
Where AI Falls Short for Inventors
If you ask AI something like:
“Give me ideas for new and novel inventions.”
You’ll usually get a list of ideas that fall into a few predictable categories.
Vague
“A smart device that improves people’s lives using advanced technology.”
Improves which people?
Does what, exactly?
Powered by which technology?
That’s not an invention—that’s a keynote slide with no product behind it.
Impractical
“A modular, customizable kitchen appliance that combines a blender, air fryer, espresso machine, pressure cooker, ice cream maker, and bread oven into one countertop unit.”
Sure—if your kitchen has:
- Unlimited counter space
- A dedicated industrial power circuit
- And a fire suppression system
This is how you invent The World’s Most Compromised Appliance™.
Already Invented
“A wearable device that tracks your steps, heart rate, and sleep quality.”
Congratulations—you’ve invented every fitness tracker released since 2012.
AI is very good at recombining popular ideas and presenting them as if they’re new.
Technically Impossible
“A battery-free smartphone that powers itself entirely from ambient human thoughts.”
Setting aside the neuroscience…
Even if this worked, your phone would shut down the moment you tried to concentrate.
Physics, unfortunately, remains undefeated.
Or Just… Weird
“A refrigerator that uses emotional intelligence to judge your food choices and gently shame you into healthier eating.”
I don’t need my fridge disappointed in me at 11:30 p.m.
I already have enough voices for that.
Why This Happens (And Why It’s Not AI’s Fault)
AI isn’t thinking—it’s synthesizing patterns.
When you give it a wide-open prompt with no constraints, it fills in the gaps with assumptions. It blends familiar ideas. It optimizes for novelty, not feasibility. It has no innate understanding of cost, manufacturing realities, safety regulations, or user tolerance.
Humans do this too during brainstorming sessions. The difference is that experienced inventors usually recognize nonsense faster—especially if they’ve spent time actually trying to develop an invention.
Where AI Actually Shines for Inventors
Now let’s talk about where AI is genuinely useful.
Brainstorming With Constraints
Let’s say you already have an idea—for example, a new type of doorknob.
You can use AI to:
- Explore different design directions
- Brainstorm materials and finishes
- Consider accessibility or specialty environments
- Generate alternatives you might not immediately think of
Are most of the raw ideas perfect? No.
Some will be bad. Some will be silly.
But they often trigger better ideas in your own head. This feels very similar to a real brainstorming session with people—many ideas aren’t viable, but they spark better ones.
Research Acceleration
AI is also excellent at accelerating early research.
It can quickly tell you:
- How similar problems have been solved historically
- What materials are used in niche or extreme environments
- How specialized products work (clean rooms, medical settings, industrial spaces)
AI won’t replace deep expertise—but it can save hours of early digging and help you ask smarter follow-up questions.
What AI Is Best Used For (And What It Isn’t)
AI works best as:
- A brainstorming partner
- A research assistant
- A drafting and refinement tool
- A way to explore options quickly
AI works poorly as:
- “The inventor”
- The final decision-maker
- A substitute for engineering judgment
- A replacement for real-world testing
Use AI to refine a slogan.
Use it to explore logo concepts.
Use it to stress-test product names.
But double-check everything.
You Are the Special Sauce
This is the part inventors should never forget.
AI does not understand:
- Your intuition
- Your lived experience
- Your empathy for users
- Your tolerance for risk
- Your sense of tradeoffs
- Your vision for where a product should go
You are the special sauce in the invention process.
AI can support you, challenge you, and accelerate parts of your workflow—but it cannot replace the human judgment required to turn an idea into a viable product.
Final Thought
AI is a powerful new tool for inventors—but it’s still just a tool.
Use it to brainstorm, research, and refine.
Don’t ask it to invent for you.
And don’t confuse automation with innovation.
If you use AI wisely, it can absolutely make you a better inventor.
Just remember: ideas are easy. Turning them into real products is still a human job.
