Generative Artificial Intelligence in Product Design Education: Navigating Concerns of Originality and Ethics

Image-generative artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being used in the product design process. In this paper, we present examples of how it is being used and discuss the possibilities of how applications may evolve in the future. We discuss the legal and ethical implications of image-generative AI, including concerns about bias, hidden labor, theft from artists, lack of originality in the outputs, and lack of copyright protection. We discuss how these concerns apply to design education and provide recommendations to educators about how AI should be addressed in the design classroom. We recommend that educators introduce AI as one tool among many in the designer’s toolkit and encourage it to be used as a process tool rather than for generating final design deliverables. We also provide guidance for how educators might engage students in discussions about AI to enhance their learning.