Growing up, there was an Igbo saying my mum would often remind me of: “Nke ịrụ ka,” sometimes written as “Nkeiruka.” It simply means “What lies ahead is greater,” or as I have always understood it, “The best is yet to come.”
My mum would say these words to encourage me to look forward with hope, believe in a brighter future and never allow my present circumstances to define what tomorrow could become.
At the time, I probably did not fully appreciate the depth of those words. But as I grew older, experienced life's different seasons, faced challenges, celebrated little victories and found myself navigating unexpected opportunities, I began to understand what she was teaching me.
She was not promising that life would always be easy or that everything would work out exactly as planned. She was teaching me something much more important: never allow the difficulties of today to convince you that tomorrow has nothing better to offer.
And interestingly, I have found myself thinking about those words again, especially with everything happening around Artificial Intelligence.
Is AI taking away our future or opening new possibilities?
Almost every day, we hear conversations about AI replacing jobs, changing professions, automating tasks and making certain skills less relevant.
For people working in UX design, software development, research, writing and other creative professions, these conversations can sometimes feel unsettling.
I understand those concerns because technological change can be uncomfortable, especially when we cannot clearly see what comes next.
But I also wonder whether we sometimes spend so much time worrying about what AI might take away that we forget to explore what it could help us cZAreate.
A recent 2026 study involving 461 design professionals examined how AI tools influence designers' confidence in their creative abilities. Interestingly, the researchers found that designers who felt more in control of their work and experienced AI as a useful collaborator also tended to report greater confidence in their creativity.
That finding caught my attention.
Because perhaps the future of design is not simply about humans competing with AI. Perhaps it is about learning how to work with AI while retaining the creativity, judgement, empathy and understanding that make us human.
Think about what this could mean for UX design.
AI can help us explore design ideas, build prototypes, analyze information and experiment with solutions much faster than before. But understanding people's needs, recognizing their struggles, questioning assumptions and deciding whether a solution genuinely improves their lives still require thoughtful human involvement.
Imagine what we could accomplish if we combined these capabilities responsibly.
We might design more accessible products, explore ideas that previously seemed too expensive to develop, and create opportunities for people who have historically faced barriers to participating in technology.
Of course, none of this will happen automatically. AI also brings genuine concerns about bias, privacy, trust, job disruption and overdependence. We cannot simply ignore those challenges in the name of optimism.
But a hopeful future is not one without challenges. It is one we are willing to work towards despite them.
Perhaps Nke Ịrụ Ka is also a lesson in lifelong learning
The World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report 2025 identifies AI and big data among the fastest-growing skills, but it also highlights creative thinking, adaptability, curiosity and lifelong learning as increasingly important.
That tells me something encouraging.
We do not necessarily need to know everything about tomorrow's technology today. What matters is our willingness to keep learning, question what we know and remain open to new possibilities.
And this is where my mum's words become even more meaningful to me.
Looking forward does not mean forgetting where we came from. It means carrying the lessons of yesterday into the opportunities of tomorrow.
My journey has taught me that growth rarely follows a perfectly straight line. Sometimes we change direction, learn something completely new or discover opportunities in places we never expected.
Perhaps that is why I continue to believe so strongly in sharing knowledge as I learn. Because every new thing we discover has the potential to help someone else move forward too.
The best is yet to come, but we have a role to play
As I reflect on my mum's words, I realize that Nke Ịrụ Ka is more than a statement of hope. It is also an invitation to keep moving forward.
The future will not necessarily be better simply because technology becomes more powerful. It becomes better when we use what we have learned to make thoughtful decisions, solve meaningful problems and create opportunities for others.
As UX designers, AI practitioners, researchers, parents and members of our communities, we all have a role to play in shaping that future.
So, if you are currently learning something new, considering a career change, navigating uncertainty or wondering whether there is still room for you in this rapidly changing world, I hope my mum's words encourage you as much as they have encouraged me.
Nke Ịrụ Ka. What lies ahead is greater.
Not because tomorrow is guaranteed to be perfect, but because there is still so much we can learn, create, improve and become.
And perhaps the most beautiful thing about the future is that we have not finished writing its story. ❤️
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