Ethical Business in the era of AI?

Business has changed in 2026. If you haven't noticed the ethical can of worms AI has opened over the last few months, you've likely been living in a delightfully analogue world.

Intellectual property, copyright and AI training have become constant concerns, along with outright theft from artists and designers by competitors and manufacturers. Navigating it can feel like finding your footing in a world without gravity. We once worried about unknown offshore manufacturers pinching our mahi, but increasingly it's other local businesses looking for a shortcut to a commercial win.

I'm barely scratching the surface here, but AI and cheaper offshore manufacturing aren't going anywhere. More and more stuff is being made, with arguably less skill and discernment going into it.

My response has been to return to the ethos Aho began with: whakapapa at the heart of our decisions, and connection, relationship, people and whenua at the core of how and what we create. We don't want to join the ever cheaper, ever faster rush. We'd rather lean into handmade and artisanal: one-of-a-kind, skilfully made, locally crafted taonga to keep and cherish for years, if not generations.

We don't use AI to generate our designs, and every Aho piece begins with a human hand. 

Our design language has always embraced the imperfections of the maker's hand, nothing too vectorised or "perfect". We do welcome technology, using computers and machines as tools that help us realise new complexity and ease in our work (ideally while looking effortless :).

You'll see this intent in the coming months, in new product releases and the imprint of people-centred design.