Presentations can make or break ideas, and when the stakes are high, choosing between AI-generated slides and human-designed presentations can be a headache. AI tools like Prezi, Beautiful.ai, and Canva promise speed and affordability, while human presentation designers bring storytelling, strategic thinking, and emotional depth to a deck. Let's dive deeper into AI presentations and human designers, leading up to what option you should go for as per your requirements.
The rise of AI in presentations
Artificial Intelligence is transforming industries, and presentation design is no exception. Once considered a time-consuming task reserved for skilled designers, creating slides is now faster and more accessible thanks to AI-powered tools. But what does the rise of AI in presentations mean for professionals and businesses?
Why AI is gaining popularity in presentations
AI tools like automated slide generators and smart templates have made presentation design easier than ever. They:
- save time
- reduce costs
- allow non-designers to create visually appealing decks in minutes.
For busy professionals, this speed and efficiency is a game-changer.These advantages make AI especially appealing for startups, educators, and small businesses that need quick, professional-looking decks.
The limitations of AI tools
Despite its benefits, AI falls short when it comes to storytelling, creativity, and audience connection. The use of storytelling in presentations has always helped build more persuasive narrative, and AI struggles to create persuasive messages that a human audience can relate to. This is where human presentation designers excel.
AI also has a limited set of layouts to explore from, which limits design strategy. The same issue comes with copy. Your presentation’s copy needs to be highly personalised, well thought of, and relatable for the audience, and that’s where AI cannot compare to a human designers.
Related read: Copywriting guide for presentations
What Human Presentation Designers Bring to the Table
While AI has brought speed and automation into presentation design, it cannot fully replace the depth and expertise that a human presentation designer brings. Presentation strategies also require strategy, empathy, and creativity, qualities that humans excel at. They offer:
- A streamlined process
A professional looks at your business objectives, audience type, and desired outcomes. This strategy-driven approach ensures your presentation is not only visually appealing but also purposeful.
(For a deeper dive into how professionals manage this process, see our blog on 7 ways a presentation design agency manages your project.)
- The right amount of Persuasion
AI tools can suggest layouts and visuals, but they cannot capture the essence of your brand story. Human designers add flow, design emphasis, and emotional connection throughout your narrative.
Related read: mastering the art of persuasive presentations
- Creativity without limitations
Every business is unique, and so should be its presentations. Human designers bring creativity that AI templates simply can’t match. They understand brand guidelines, tone of voice, and subtle design nuances. This results in tailored presentations that feel authentic rather than generic.
- Flexibility and adaptability
A human designer can adapt based on real-time feedback. Whether it’s refining a pitch deck after investor input or adjusting slides to fit a speaker’s talk track, human adaptability ensures the presentation aligns with context.
Related read: a guide to creating talk track for your presentations
Choosing between AI tools and human presentation designers
The truth is, AI and human presentation designers both have their place, but we’ll not leave you at that thought, so let’s break it down through a few points that you think of when you want to get a presentation made.
How fast do you need the presentation?
AI tools are like instant coffee for slides. They’re quick and convenient in getting the job done. When you’re on a tight deadline, AI-powered presentation design platforms can create professional-looking slides in minutes. However, while AI can churn out a polished deck fast, it often lacks originality. The slides might look clean, but they tend to have a templated feel.
That’s where a human presentation designer has its pros. A human presentation designer might take more time to put together your deck, but they will help you create an experience, making sure that every slide of your presentation serves a purpose, reflects your brand, and connects with your audience. Good design and storytelling needs time to develop. But when the goal is to make an impact rather than just fill slides, the extra time is worth it.
Our verdict- If you just need a quick, functional deck with no frills, AI is your go-to. But if you’re presenting an investor deck to investors, sales decks to clients, or a presentation to a high-stakes audience, a human touch will make all the difference.
How much are you willing to spend?
AI tools like Beautiful.ai, Prezi and Visme offer free or low-cost plans, making them great for those who don’t have a budget for a human presentation designer. Instead of paying for custom design, you get a deck at a fraction of the cost. With less cost, comes the disadvantage of limited customisation. You can change colors and fonts, but true brand personality is hard to capture for an AI tool. If your brand identity matters (and it should), AI might not be enough.
In such a case, a human presentation designer might charge you more than any AI tool, but for a deck that is completely aligned with your brand, voice, goals and story, investing in a well-designed deck can pay off in ways AI simply can’t.
Our Verdict- AI is great for those who need a low-cost option, but for high-stakes presentations, human expertise is worth the investment.
How engaging do you want your deck to be?
AI keeps fonts, colors, and layouts consistent across slides, keeping it all neat. As a matter of fact, AI can organize slides, but it doesn’t understand human cognition that would engage a human audience like a human itself. It won’t know when to add a connecting slide for impact. AI decks often feel flat, lacking the emotional pull that keeps audiences engaged.
However, Humans understand nuance, humor, and persuasion. A human-designed presentation can turn make your audience care about what you’re saying.
Unlike AI, humans presentation designer might tweak designs based on context rather than rigid rules. This might mean not as consistent looking layouts, but those creative tweaks often make the deck feel more easy to understand and relatable.
Our Verdict- If you want slides that look good and well-put AI is fine. But if you want more than just that, and want your slides to connect with humans, a human presentation designer is the perfect match for you.
How creative and strategic do you want to get with your presentation?
Some AI tools suggest images, icons, or even text based on your topic. This can be helpful for structuring a presentation quickly. However, AI doesn’t think like a human, it follows patterns. It won’t adapt based on audience, or adjust tone for different stakeholders.
With regard to this, A human presentation designer considers who you’re presenting to and what will resonate with them. They brainstorm a lot of strategies to present your information, all while making sure that their creativity is tailored to fit your requirements and the audience. You might need to work with your designer, provide input, and give feedback, but that collaboration helps that presentation really works for you.
Our Verdict- AI can help organise information in a presentation, but a human presentation designer can create a presentation that’s strategically designed for your specific audience and goal.
Concluding the blog
AI sticks to safe layouts, so you can’t expect something groundbreaking. However, it’s safe to say that you’ll get a foundational design. As for humans, they take creative risks. And when preferences are communicated right, a human presentation designer can balance creativity with professionalism.
So choosing one between the two really depends on ‘what’s your move?’- Speed or strategy? Templates or storytelling? A quick fix or real impact?
If a human presentation designer matches your current requirement, being here might just be a sign to talk to us about your project! Crappy presentations is a presentation design firm having a team of strategic thinkers and designers that can help you with your presentation needs. Be it an investor deck, sales deck, corporate presentation or event presentation- we do it all!
For more insights, tips and tricks about ‘all things presentations’, check out more from the Crappy presentations blog.
