How Can Artificial Intelligence Transform

the Future Design Paradigm and Its Innovative

Competency Requisition: Opportunities
and Challenges

Yuqi Liu(B) , Zhiyong Fu, and Tiantian Li

Academy of Arts and Design, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China

[email protected], [email protected]

Abstract. With the unprecedented advancement of artificial intelligence tech-

nology, the context, processes, tools, methods, and ethics of design are facing
significant changes. This study explores the opportunities and challenges that arti-
ficial intelligence technology brings to design and put forward a capability model
that designers should acquire in the AI era. There are 4 main opportunity points,
namely “The optimization of design process, tools and resources”, “The expansion
of design inspiration, direction and field”, “The enrichment of design generation,
content and output”, “The improvement of design efficiency, quality and accura-
cy”. In terms of design challenges and ethics, 7 points have been clarified, including
“Capability substitution and unemployment issues”, “Ownership and protection of
intellectual property”, “Data security and privacy protection”, “Transparent com-
munication and real-time feedback”, “Group diversity and prejudice avoidance”,
“Social morality and ethical norms”, and “Universality and social equity”. Finally,
in facing the future shock of AI on the design profession, the author proposes a
competency wheel of design futures literacy, which includes 7 crucial capabilities
designers need in the AI Era, there are “Subtle perception”, “Infinite imagination”,
“Sharpe-eyed insight”, “Forward-looking decision-making”, “Systemic planning
capability”, “Hybrid computing capability”, and “Whole-chain creativity”. This
study provides a valuable dialogue space for AI-enabled design paradigm and the
evolutionary direction of future designers’ competency.

Keywords: Design · Futures · Artificial Intelligence · Design Thinking · Futures

Literacy · Education

1 Introduction

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become the innovation infrastructure and will reshape
the future innovation process and the way creativity is applied [1]. In the future, AI will
gradually penetrate into our daily life like air and water [2, 3], affecting innovations in
various technological fields around the world, and continuously changing the way peo-
ple, organizations, society, nature and machines interact [4]. Contemporary AI research

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023

H. Degen et al. (Eds.): HCII 2023, LNCS 14059, pp. 131–148, 2023.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-48057-7_9
132 Y. Liu et al.

focuses on shaping our daily lives, solving complex societal problems, and addressing
environmental issues to protect global ecosystems and sustainability [5–7]. Design is
synonymous with human creativity, and its essence is innovation [8, 9]. The word “de-
sign” can be combined with different nouns or verb to form many different subdivided
creative fields, such as urban Design, architectural design, interaction design, industrial
design, service design, material design, program design, architecture design, UI design,
etc. Judging from the speed of technological development, it is probably a matter of
time before artificial intelligence technology surpasses the level of human intelligence
[10]. AI can overcome human limitations in information processing, provide instrumen-
tal assistance beyond the scope of human capabilities [11], and even enable machines
to replace humans to realize functions such as cognition, identification, analysis, and
decision-making. Its essence is to make machines help humans solve problems [12–14].
To a certain extent, artificial intelligence is also a kind of design, and its purpose is to
help humans solve problems and create innovative solutions similar to human think-
ing patterns [15]. Currently, ChatGPT is booming globally, igniting global topics and
a vast market. ChatGPT, as a powerful feature of AIGC, is based on AI and developed
for Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). For future design, the historical process of
generating innovative content will undergo a transformation from PGC to UGC, and
then to AIGC. Artificial intelligence will have a profound impact on the future design
innovation paradigm and will profoundly transform the design education and design
industry ecology. For design innovation, what impact will the rapid development of AI
technology and the rise of AIGC tools have on the design industry? Should we resist or
embrace? What are the opportunities and challenges? What is the relationship between
artificial intelligence and designers? Will it replace human designers? What abilities do
future designers in the era of artificial intelligence needed? This research starts with the
concept, development stage and maturity level of AI, wants to analyze the opportunities
and challenges that AI brings to design innovation, and proposes a model of design-
ers’ future literacy ability, which provides valuable suggestions and references for the
development of future Design paradigm and the pursuit of designers’ literacy ability.

2 The Development Stages and Maturity Level of AI

2.1 The Development Stages of AI

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a new technological science used to simulate and expand
the theories, methods, technologies, and application systems of human intelligence. The
research fields include Natural Language Processing, Deep Learning, Simulating Mod-
eling, Machine Translation, Social Network Analysis, Machine Learning, Robotics &
Soft Robotics, Internet of Things, Image Analytics, Graph Analytics, Audio Analytics,
Visualization, Virtual Personal Assistant, etc. [16, 17]. The development stage of arti-
ficial intelligence can be divided into three stages based on the strength of capabilities,
namely the Weak Artificial Intelligence stage, the Strong Artificial Intelligence stage,
and the Super Artificial Intelligence stage [5, 18].
Weak AI Stage. “Weak Artificial Intelligence” refers to computer programs that can
only complete specific human specified commands and tasks, and cannot have universal
 How Can Artificial Intelligence Transform 133

learning and reasoning abilities like humans. Currently, most intelligent applications
are in this stage, such as smart rice cookers, smart voice assistants, and smart customer
service.
Strong AI Stage. “Strong Artificial Intelligence” refers to computer programs that
have universal learning and reasoning abilities like humans, can handle various complex
tasks, and even create new knowledge. At present, most strong artificial intelligence is
still in the stage of research and development and laboratory training, and has not yet
been widely applied in practical production and life. However, in the past two years,
large language models such as ChatGPT3.0/4.0 and AIGC tools have emerged, which
are very close to strong artificial intelligence and are expected to trigger a new round of
productivity revolution.
Super AI Stage. “Super Artificial Intelligence” refers to computer programs that pos-
sess intelligence and abilities beyond human beings, capable of solving problems that
humans cannot solve, such as self-awareness, self-learning, and interdisciplinary inte-
gration. Super Artificial Intelligence is the highest development stage of AI, as well
as the most challenging and controversial stage. Before implementing Super Artificial
Intelligence, many technical and ethical issues need to be addressed, such as how to
ensure that AI does not harm humans, how to address the security and privacy issues of
intelligence, and how to ensure the value and ethical standards (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1. AI maturity model. Source: Gartner AI Maturity Model

2.2 The Maturity Level of AI

For the application of AI in the industry, Gardner proposed an “AI Maturity Model”.
Design innovation can refer to this model to understand which stage AI is in and adopt
it in relevant design businesses, processes, and activities.
134 Y. Liu et al.

Awareness Level. This level is the embryonic stage of technology. People have a pri-
mary understanding of artificial intelligence technology and are interested in it, imagin-
ing and assuming its numerous application scenarios. This stage is still in its early stages,
and the risk of technological innovation is high. At this stage, technological applications
are secondary, with a focus on developing AI related application infrastructure and tap-
ping into technological potential. At this level, scientists are active and there are high
barriers to market entry.
Active Level. This stage is the laboratory activation stage for technology. As the matu-
rity of technology increases, investment in AI research and development (R&D) and
the potential for related new technology applications will be gradually explored. At this
time, the technology begins to be activated, gradually breaking away from the R&D envi-
ronment and academic experiments and entering the enterprise’s new product research
and production environment.
Operational Level. This stage involves technology entering the core of the organiza-
tion from the laboratory, becoming a part of productivity, and innovating products and
production processes to form a “Smart Industry”. In this situation, artificial intelligence
technology equipped with machine learning and deep learning has filled the manufactur-
ing industry with smart machines that can learn and act independently, and organizations
have entered the Industry 4.0 field.
Systemic Level. In addition to its application in the field of productivity, this stage of
technology can also help organizations provide open global access. When everyone has
access to technology, a systematic technical approach will emerge. In organizations,
artificial intelligence not only supports individual behavior and departmental business,
but also involves digital supply chains and processes, creating new business models, and
being used to redefine professional roles and responsibilities.
Transformational Level. The technology at this stage does not enter the company
through process improvement or departmental structure adjustment, but rather serves
as the foundation for building new models, organizational processes, and activities. At
this level of Artificial Intelligence, we cannot call it innovation, but integration. The
application of technology has been widely known and accepted by the public, and AI
will become a part of the foundation of all organizations.

3 Design Opportunities and Challenges in the Era of AI

The development and application of artificial intelligence have brought numerous oppor-
tunities and challenges to design education and the industry. On the one hand, in the
future, a considerable number of designers will be eliminated by artificial intelligence
technology and tools, or on the brink of elimination, which will trigger a wave of unem-
ployment and panic [12, 19]; On the other hand, more and more designers are using
AI technology and AIGC tools to improve their work and design processes, enhance
their design innovation capabilities, and improve design efficiency [20, 21]. This section
explains the role of design innovation and designers in the artificial intelligence era by
exploring the technological opportunities and challenges. The related content summary
is shown in Fig. 2.
 How Can Artificial Intelligence Transform 135

Fig. 2. The opportunities and Challenges of AI for Design

3.1 Design Opportunities which AI Brought

AI can support organizations in all stages of innovation, namely idea generation, idea
filtering, idea experimentation, and idea development and commercialization [22, 23].
Meanwhile, in the future, organizations will also delegate their key functions, includ-
ing decision making, recruitment and customer relationship management, to artificial
intelligence [15, 24, 25]. This section will analyze the design opportunities in the era
of artificial intelligence from the following four aspects: The optimization of design
process, tools and resource; The expansion of design inspiration, direction and field;
The enrichment of design generation, content and output; The improvement of design
efficiency, quality and accuracy.

3.1.1 The Optimization of Design Process, Tools and Resources.

This part mainly analyzes the innovation and reshaping effect that AI can bring to the
design thinking process, and the technical role played by AI at different stages. Figure 3
divides the design innovation process into 5 divergent and convergent diamonds, totaling
10 stages, namely: Discover & Define, Idea & Design, Prototype & Test, Develop &
Implement, Produce & Evaluate.
Discover & Define. Through machine learning and data analysis, artificial intelligence
can process and analyze a large amount of data. Designers can use artificial intelligence
136 Y. Liu et al.

tools to obtain user data, market data, competition data, and other information, better
understand user needs, market trends, and competitor strategies. Human intelligence
can help designers discover hidden patterns and trends, and provide new insights about
design space.
Ideate & Design. Artificial intelligence can serve as an auxiliary tool for designers,
automating some tedious design tasks and helping designers quickly generate a large
number of design solutions. For example, artificial intelligence based generative design
tools can learn a large amount of design data, decompose and combine design elements,
and generate new design solutions. These solutions can stimulate the imagination of
designers and help them explore more possibilities.
Prototype & Test. Artificial intelligence can also assist designers in rapid prototyping
and testing, thereby accelerating the speed and efficiency of the design process. For
example, changing the process of creating 3D models using AIGC tools to improve
efficiency, using AI algorithms to track and optimize model files during the 3D printing
process, utilizing intelligent functions to enable additive manufacturing companies to
quickly identify weaknesses in prototypes, and introducing AI into rapid prototyping
technology to reduce errors before the final prototype is formed.
Develop & Implement. Artificial intelligence can help designers evaluate and optimize
design solutions. Through machine learning and data analysis, artificial intelligence can
analyze the advantages and disadvantages of different design schemes, and propose
improvement suggestions to help designers make better design decisions and respond
to the needs of actual users and customers. For example, through data analysis, artificial
intelligence can determine users’ preferences for a certain design elements, and generate
design solutions or personalized customized service solutions that meet user needs by
analyzing specific user data and behavior.
Operate and Scale. Artificial intelligence can play an important role in production
and manufacturing processes. For example, AI-based automation systems can help pro-
duction lines complete manufacturing tasks faster and more accurately, improving pro-
duction efficiency and quality. Additionally, AI can help designers better manage sup-
ply chains, forecast demand, and reduce waste, thereby reducing costs and increasing
efficiency.
Regarding the relationship between AI and designers, we can consider it through
the overall penetration rate of artificial intelligence for design work. It can be seen from
Fig. 3 that the capabilities of artificial intelligence can be divided into Weak AI, Strong
AI and Super AI. The strength of artificial intelligence capabilities also determines its
participation and penetration rate in the entire design process. And the intelligence of
these three levels can coexist at the same time. When the penetration rate of AI for
design is 0%, we return to the traditional craftsmen; when the penetration rate of AI
for design is 100%, we assume that this extreme state exists, namely So-called artificial
intelligence designers. However, what needs to be emphasized is that the core of design
work is to deal with the relationship between people, society and environment which
cannot be replaced by machines. At the same time, AI cannot do completely abstract
and systematic work, and can only provide diverse choices, and It cannot replace human
beings in making decisions, but can only provide decision-making options. Although,
 How Can Artificial Intelligence Transform 137

Fig. 3. AI-enabled design thinking process

this part is technically feasible in time, but it is not allowed to be realized in terms of
ethical constraints. Therefore, we can briefly divide the relationship between AI and
designers into three categories according to the AI penetration rate, namely: (1) AI as a
tool; (2) AI as a collaborator; (3) AI as a creator. In Fig. 3, different symbols represent
the role played by artificial intelligence technology at the corresponding development
138 Y. Liu et al.

stage for different design stages. Among them, “X” means “No effect”, and the light
gray triangle box “” represents “Weak instrumental effect”, the black triangle box “”
stands for “Medium instrumental effect”, the black solid triangle “▲” stands for “Strong
instrumental effect”; the black circle box “◯” stands for “Co-collaboration effect”, and
the black solid circle box “●” stands for “Co-creation effect”. The completion of each
step requires designers to make “choices and decisions”.

3.1.2 The Expansion of Design Inspiration, Direction, and Field

Inspiration and Possibility. In the analysis above, we know that AI can provide design-
ers with many inspirations and creative possibilities in the early stage of design inspi-
ration generation with its large amount of data and information. Better conceive and
express your own design ideas and solutions. For example, AI can discover design
rules and trends through data analysis, analyze and identify various patterns and color
combinations through image recognition, analyze consumers’ needs and preferences,
expectations, and opinions on products through natural language processing, and endow
consumers with data information. Functions, such as Generative Confrontation Network
(GAN), evolutionary algorithm and generative design, help designers quickly capture
inspiration, or automatically generate a large number of design concepts and initial
creative solutions.
Digitalization and Smart Systems. AI has expanded a wealth of intelligent system
design methods on the traditional mechanized design system. Today’s design innovation
is more inclined to the creation and generation of intelligent systems such as digitization
and intelligence. In terms of automated design, artificial intelligence can automatically
complete design tasks through machine learning and deep learning algorithms; in terms
of personalized design, analyze user behavior and preferences through consumption
data, and automatically create personalized designs; Data mining analyzes user data and
market trends to help designers formulate more prepared design strategies; in terms of
sustainable design, it helps designers use machine learning algorithms to optimize design
methods and reduce resource waste and energy consumption. In interactive design, real-
time interaction with users is provided through intelligent interactive systems to provide
a more humanized experience; in parametric design, design efficiency and quality are
improved by optimizing design parameters and processes, such as using optimization
algorithms, automatically find the optimal combination of design parameters to reduce
errors; in terms of visual design, visual and image recognition technologies can be used
to help designers better understand and express design concepts.
Application Field and Scenarios. AI has expanded and enriched the application sce-
narios and fields of intelligent systems. For example, in the field of transportation, it can
help design autonomous vehicle systems to achieve automated driving; In the medical
field, it can assist doctors in medical and healthcare tasks such as disease diagnosis,
patient monitoring, and drug development; In the financial field, it can assist banks and
financial institutions in providing financial services such as risk management, fraud
detection, and customer service; In the industrial field, it is possible to optimize produc-
tion processes, improve production efficiency, and conduct fault diagnosis; In the field
of agriculture, digital information system design and management can be used to help
 How Can Artificial Intelligence Transform 139

farmers increase crop yields, detect plant health status, and make climate predictions. In
the field of daily life, designing wearable devices and smart homes can enable intelli-
gent interaction and data sharing with users, providing more personalized and intelligent
services and experiences.

3.1.3 The Enrichment of Design Generation, Content and Output

AI technology and AIGC tools have been widely applied in the field of content genera-
tion. According to the division of modules, it can be divided into text generation, image
generation, audio generation, video generation, 3D model generation, and cross modal
generation of different content forms.
Text. AIGC text generation methods are roughly divided into two categories: non-
interactive text generation and interactive text generation. The main application direc-
tions of non-interactive text generation include structured writing (such as headline gen-
eration), unstructured writing (such as marketing text), and auxiliary writing. Among
them, auxiliary writing mainly includes relevant content recommendation and polish-
ing help, which is usually not considered as AIGC in the strict sense. Interactive text
generation is mostly used in interactive scenarios such as virtual boyfriend/girlfriend,
psychological counseling, and text interactive games.
Image. AIGC has two of the most mature application scenarios for image genera-
tion: image editing tools and autonomous image generation. Features of image edit-
ing tools include watermark removal, resolution enhancement, specific filters, and etc.
Autonomous image generation is actually the recently emerging AI graphics, includ-
ing creative image generation (generate paintings randomly or according to specific
attributes) and functional image generation (generate logos, models, marketing posters,
etc.).
Audio. AIGC audio generation is divided into voice synthesis and song generation,
which are widely used in audiobook production, voice broadcast, short video dubbing,
music synthesis and other fields. In the field of voice synthesis, text-to-speech (TTS)
technology can be used to launch works that reproduce the voices of real people. In the
listening module, users can also choose their favorite AI voice package to play, and the
synthesized voice has clear rhythm and natural emotion. In the field of song generation,
users can use AI to generate a variety of musical instrument performances, songs of
different styles, and can also imitate video game music and other types.
Video. The common traditional application scenarios of AIGC in video generation
also include video attribute editing, video automatic editing and video partial editing,
which can save manpower and time efficiently. In September 2022, the Make-A-Video
tool launched by Meta has the ability to generate corresponding short videos based on
text descriptions. Google also launched Imagenvideo, which focuses on high-definition
generation, and Phenaki, which focuses on generating longer video content. In October
2022, the AI reset version of “Illusion Tokyo” was released, and the picture generation
was completed frame by frame through AI, allowing us to see the possibility of AIGC
participating in video creation.
140 Y. Liu et al.

3D Models. AIGC can generate new high-quality 3D models by learning a large amount
of 3D model data. In the application scenario of 3D model generation, it is often neces-
sary to generate a large number of diverse models. Using traditional manual modeling
methods often takes a lot of time and manpower but using machine learning algorithms
to generate 3D models can greatly improve efficiency and reduce costs. Specifically,
the process of generating a 3D model includes steps such as data acquisition, data pre-
processing, model training, and model generation. In the data acquisition stage, a large
amount of 3D model data needs to be collected, cleaned and marked. In the data prepro-
cessing stage, the data needs to be processed and normalized to facilitate the training and
application of machine learning algorithms. In the model training phase, it is necessary
to use a deep learning algorithm to generate a 3D model by learning from the data.
In the model generation stage, using generative models, new, high-quality 3D models
can be quickly generated. At present, the application of 3D model generation has been
widely used in game development, virtual reality, architectural design, medicine and
other fields.
Cross-Modal Generation. The multimodal and cross-modal application of AIGC
between text, image, audio, video, and 3D models is called cross-modal generation.
Cross-modal generation usually refers to the use of AI technology to fuse different types
of information (such as text, images, sounds, etc.) to generate new content. This cross-
modal generation technology can also be applied to many fields, such as film production,
music creation, virtual reality, etc., to bring people more abundant experiences.

3.1.4 The Improvement of Design Efficiency, Quality, and Accuracy

Improve Design Efficiency and Speed. Artificial intelligence can handle many tedious,
repetitive, and inefficient tasks in design through automated design processes, enabling
designers to focus more on creativity and planning, accelerating the speed and efficiency
of design. Such as automated color scheme generation, automated layout design, auto-
mated graphic recognition and processing, automatic generation of design schemes, and
automatic checking of design rationality. These functions help to reduce the time and
effort of manual operations and improve design efficiency. For example, by learning
from existing design works and automatically generating new design elements such as
color schemes, pattern icons, etc., abundant design materials can be quickly generated,
and optimized, corrected, merged, cropped, etc. which make the design more precise,
standardized, and efficient.
Optimize Design Accuracy and Quality. AI can improve the accuracy and precision of
design through the analysis and processing of a large amount of data. For example, in user
research, machine learning algorithms are used to analyze user behavior and preferences,
to better understand their needs and expectations, and design products that better meet
user needs. In terms of scheme optimization, AI can automatically search for the optimal
design scheme based on design requirements and objectives, thereby improving design
efficiency and quality. In terms of simulation and testing, artificial intelligence can help
designers predict design results more accurately and verify the feasibility of design
solutions through simulation and testing, such as using virtual reality and simulation
technologies to test and validate design solutions, thereby reducing trial and error costs
 How Can Artificial Intelligence Transform 141

and time. In terms of user feedback, AI can quickly provide feedback on the results
and effects of design schemes, enabling designers to quickly adjust and improve design
schemes, thereby improving design efficiency and quality.
Reduce Design Costs and Errors. From the perspective of design research, artificial
intelligence based on the objective analysis of big data can better understand the devel-
opment rules and consumers’ preferences based on objective facts. From the design
process, the traditional design process requires human intervention, which may lead to
inevitable human errors. AI technology can reduce human errors and avoid unnecessary
costs by automating the design and inspection process. In terms of design results, AI
can verify the feasibility of the design scheme through simulation and testing, reduce
problems in the design and manufacturing process and errors that need to be corrected,
and reduce manufacturing costs. In terms of the production process, artificial intelligence
can simulate and optimize materials production processes, thereby improving production
efficiency and quality, and reducing waste and costs. All of these can help enterprises
improve their competitiveness.

3.2 Design Challenges which AI Brought

Although Artificial intelligence could bring a quite number of opportunities to design,
it will also derivative many challenges and ethical issues. For example, how to ensure
that artificial intelligence will not harm humans in the future, how to solve the data
security and privacy issues, how to implement the value realization and ethical principles,
etc. Therefore, the development of artificial intelligence is a long and complex process
that requires efforts in technology, policy, and ethics. The following summarizes the
challenges and major ethical issues:
Capability Substitution and Unemployment Issues. The powerful analysis and gen-
eration capabilities of artificial intelligence will have a huge impact on many designers
who are engaged in a single design job, leading to a series of unemployment and social
problems. This is what design, technology, society and the government need to pay
attention to topic.
Ownership and Protection of Intellectual Property. Whether the data used by artifi-
cial intelligence in the training process will infringe the intellectual property rights of the
original creators; at the same time, who owns the copyright of design scheme generated
by AI, the designer, or the relevant operating company, etc. Questions like these will
bring about numerous property rights disputes.
Data Security and Privacy Protection. The design of artificial intelligence systems
needs to consider how to protect personal privacy. This may include restricting data
access, the use of data masking and encryption techniques, and ensuring that users
explicitly authorize the use of data.
Transparent Communication and Real-Time Feedback. The design of AI system
needs to consider how to let users understand the decision-making process. This includes
open-source code, transparency and explainability of machine learning algorithms, and
establishing transparent communication and feedback mechanisms.
142 Y. Liu et al.

Group Diversity and Prejudice Avoidance. The design of AI system needs to avoid
prejudice and discrimination against certain groups, such as race, gender, age and
other factors. This requires ensuring the diversity and integrity of datasets, as well as
transparent and interpretable analysis of algorithms.
Social Morality and Ethical Norms. The design of AI system needs to consider how to
abide by social and ethical norms to ensure the maximum benefit to individuals and soci-
ety. This may include developing industry standards, establishing feedback mechanisms,
and collaborating and communicating across domains.
Universality and Social Equity. The design of AI system needs to consider how to
make technology accessible to a wider group of people in order to achieve fairness and
equal opportunity. This may include providing easy-to-use and accessible technology,
providing technical training and support, and considering social and cultural influences.
In conclusion, design ethics is a crucial issue in the era of artificial intelligence, and
joint efforts are required at the technical, policy, social and cultural levels to ensure that
the application of artificial intelligence technology is consistent with moral and social
values.

4 The Capability Requirements for Designers in the Era of AI

For the career of designers, the impact of artificial intelligence is a combination of chal-
lenges and opportunities [26–28]. On the one hand, artificial intelligence can replace the
work of low-level designers. Design work with low systematization, low thinking compo-
nent, and low innovation dimensions is more easily replaced. At the same time, the devel-
opment of artificial intelligence has lowered the threshold of design, non-professional
designers can also use relevant tools to compete with some easy design works; On the
other hand, the essence of a designer’s work is never just limited to visual and aesthetic
surfaces, but rather based on new styles, concepts, and perspectives generated by active
thinking. Design is to express subjective feelings such as inspiration, experience, and
feelings, and is more of a way for people to practice objective things. While considering
subjective factors, it also considers external and objective factors. Without innovation,
there is no design, and this is difficult to achieve with the accumulation of pure data
and algorithms. Therefore, from this perspective, artificial intelligence will not only not
become a threat to designers, but also open the door to many opportunities. It enables
designers to collaborate with machines to create smarter and faster work. The cooper-
ation between humans and computers will accomplish things that previously could not
be accomplished by a single person. In addition, artificial intelligence can continuously
learn, which is the core of innovation. AI allows designers to transcend limitations in
scope, scale, and cognition. This will be a fascinating journey. So, what capabilities
do designers need to acquire in the era of artificial intelligence? This study proposes
that designers should pay attention to the improvement of the following seven abilities:
Subtle Perception, Infinite Imagination, Sharp-eyed Insight, Forward-looking Decision-
making, Systemic Planning Capability, Hybrid Computing Capability, and Whole-Chain
Creativity [14–30].
 How Can Artificial Intelligence Transform 143

4.1 Subtle Perception

First, subtle perception (Grasp user needs): Insight into user needs is the embodiment
of designers’ perception and empathy. It can be divided into three levels. The first level
is that designers can deeply understand the needs and psychology of users, thereby
designing products and services that meet their needs and expectations; At the second
level, while capturing explicit needs, it can also explore users’ implicit needs, thereby
designing products and services that exceed users’ expectations; The third level, based
on the analysis of users’ essential needs, creates new needs to guide users’ lifestyles.
AI can never replace designers in the perception and empathy perspective. At most, it
is just an auxiliary tool and cannot replace designers for in-depth understanding and
consideration of user experience. Therefore, subtle perception should be trained and
strengthened by designers in the future, which is an inherent advantage that cannot be
replaced by AI (Fig. 4).

Fig. 4. The design futures literacy competency wheel of designers in the AI era
144 Y. Liu et al.

4.2 Infinite Imagination

Secondly, infinite imagination (Breakthrough mind stereotypes): Imagination is the abil-
ity to imagine physical objects that do not exist, and every designer should use different
types of imagination to enhance their skills and delve into design. Infinite imagina-
tion requires that designers can skillfully use counterfactual thinking to break through
thinking stereotypes. Counterfactual thinking is defined as being able to imagine that the
outcome of things may be different from the actual situation and imagine another reality.
People cannot assume that the future is the same as the present, so many innovations are
generated through the breaking of “old things” and the “establishment” of “new things”.
Imagination is the premise of creativity, and creativity and imagination are complemen-
tary, because creativity is the use of imagination. Infinite imagination requires designers
to have the ability to break through traditional thinking. In terms of imagination, AI can
assist designers in releasing their imagination, but it requires guidance and guidance
from designers.

4.3 Sharp-Eyed Insight

Thirdly, sharp-eyed insight (Capture trends and cycle): Imagination has different types,
many of which are based on reality, and others are beyond reality; Some imaginations
conform to objective truth while others not; At the same time, At the same time, there
are also numerous differences in terms of practicality and feasibility. Designers need
to capture imagination that aligns with the development trends and cycles of human
society and objective things, because based on this, there is a prerequisite for creation
and innovation. Sharp-eyed insight requires future designers to grasp the objective trends
and cycles of user needs and social, technological, ecological, commercial, and policy
environment, and create design solutions with positive significance that meet the needs
of innovative development. At this point, AI can provide designers with data resources
and analytical foundations, but how to effectively combine the two with the actual needs
of users requires designers to make their own judgments.

4.4 Forward-Looking Decision-Making

Fourthly, forward-looking decision-making (adhering to the essence of value): Decision
making power is the ability that designers in the AI era will greatly amplify. No matter
how far AI develops, its design cannot replace human decision-making. Decision making
power is a right that humans must uphold. From this perspective, future designers are
more like design managers, with different AIGC tools serving as designers for each
specific design position. In the design process, AI provides options for each step of
the outcome, proposal, and solution output, and designers evaluate, select, and make
decisions at each node. The standard for decision-making requires designers to adhere
to the value essence that needs to be constantly considered in products and services.

4.5 Systemic Planning Capability

Fifth, Systemic planning capability (strategic planning formulation): When the AI tech-
nology in the future is extremely developed and can replace the work of a single designer,
 How Can Artificial Intelligence Transform 145

then from a overall perspective, they are just work sites one by one, and the work that
connects dots into lines and forms planes cannot be replaced by AI. Future designers
are required to have systemic strategic planning capabilities. Designers should focus on
strategy and planning, gain an in-depth understanding of product and brand positioning
and goals, formulate more effective design strategies and plans, and create greater value
for enterprises. AIGC is only a design tool and cannot replace the designer’s formulation
and execution of design strategy and planning. Therefore, design strategy is a direction
that should be vigorously advocated in future design education.

4.6 Hybrid Computing Capability

Sixth, Hybrid computing capability (mastery of technical tools): The development of AI

technology, on the one hand, makes the threshold of design work lower and lower, and
the era “everyone is a designer” is on the way. The design work mentioned here refers to
relatively scattered and less systematic work. On the other hand, the number of designers
who can master various computational design tools and software powered by AI is still
a process of accumulation. Designers should constantly learn and update new digital
design tools, technologies and trend, work better with AI, improve design efficiency and
quality, and thus improve their hybrid computing power and competitiveness.

4.7 Whole-Chain Creativity

Seventh, Whole-chain creativity (creating design system): The essence of design is inno-
vation, and the ultimate ability requirement of a designer is creativity, from discovering
problems to creating solutions with meaningful value and real-world impact. This is a
process from strategy to implementation with systematic work. If AI can replace design-
ers to carry out creative activities of a single node, or even a certain process of creative
activities, but it is incompetent for the whole-chain works from “problem-discovery”,
“problem analysis” to “problem-solving”. Especially in business scenarios, AI cannot
replace the entire industrial chain process and systematic work of products, services and
experiences from scratch.

5 Discussion and Conclusion

We are at the forefront of the artificial intelligence era. The scope and scale of the impact
of AI will be more profound than any other transitional period in human history. With
the evolution of artificial intelligence from weak artificial intelligence, strong artificial
intelligence to super artificial intelligence, its penetration rate in the entire design process
will become increasingly high. AI technology can be divided into analytical AI and
generative AI based on functional value. Existing AI technologies utilize computer
simulation and simulation, based on big data, big models, pre-training, and generativity,
to achieve breakthroughs from single language text generation to audio, video, 3D model,
and cross-modal generation, which may promote deeper and broader social thinking and
production modes revolutionary changes in lifestyle and social patterns.
146 Y. Liu et al.

This study starts with the concept of artificial intelligence, analyzes the development
stages and technological maturity types of artificial intelligence, explores the opportuni-
ties and challenges that artificial intelligence technology brings to design, and analyzes
the abilities that future designers should strengthen and learn. In terms of design oppor-
tunities, there are four main points, namely “The optimization of design process, tools
and resources”, “The expansion of design inspiration, direction and field”, “The enrich-
ment of design generation, content and output”, “The improvement of design efficiency,
quality and accuracy”. In terms of design challenges, there are mainly seven points,
namely “Capability substitution and unemployment issues”, “Ownership and protection
of intellectual property”, “Data security and privacy protection”, “Transparent commu-
nication and real-time feedback”, “Group diversity and prejudice avoidance”, “Social
morality and ethical norms”, and “Universality and social equity”. Finally, in the face
of the impact of artificial intelligence on the design profession, this study proposes
a futuristic designer competency model, which includes “Subtle perception”, “Infinite
imagination”, “Sharpe-eyed insight”, “Forward-looking decision-making”, “Systemic
planning capability”, “Hybrid computing capability”, and “Whole-chain creativity”.
In summary, design is a purposeful and creative activity of human beings, which
requires the investment of consciousness, thinking, feelings, emotions, and creativity.
Its discussion context should never leave people. The concept “people” here could be
individual, collective, or the whole human race. If artificial intelligence is to meet the
collective needs of humanity, it must have a full understanding of human values, needs,
physical, psychological, cognitive, and emotional motivations. Designers are individuals
who integrate human imagination and creativity, and designing machine intelligence
that understands human language, feelings, intentions, and behaviors, and interacts with
nuances and dimensions is crucial. Future designers are no longer just focused on dealing
with the relationships between people and things, systems, space, environment, etc. They
play the roles of thought leaders, strategists, activists, and change promoters of complex
social and technological issues in private, public, civil, and charitable organizations
worldwide. They are leaders in human innovation, development, and progress. The
impact of artificial intelligence as an emerging form of productivity on future design is
unquestionable. For future design education and designers, we should not fear or resist,
but actively change ourselves, optimize our education system, embrace the opportunities,
and face the challenges. As the creator of this technology, guiding artificial intelligence
to have a positive impact on our planet, our country, our community, our families, and
our lives is the collective responsibility of the future designer community.

References
1. Haefner, N., Wincent, J., Parida, V., Gassmann, O.: Artificial intelligence and innovation
management: A review, framework, and research agenda✰. Technol. Forecast. Soc. Change
162, 120392 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2020.120392
2. Lu, Y.: Artificial intelligence: a survey on evolution, models, applications and future trends.
J. Manag. Anal. 6(1), 1–29 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1080/23270012.2019.1570365
3. Varian, H.: Artificial intelligence, economics, and industrial organization. In: Agrawal, A.,
Gans, J., Goldfarb, A. (eds.) The Economics of Artificial Intelligence: An Agenda, pp. 399–
422. University of Chicago Press (2019). https://doi.org/10.7208/chicago/9780226613475.
003.0016
 How Can Artificial Intelligence Transform 147

4. von Krogh, G.: Artificial intelligence in organizations: new opportunities for phenomenon-
based theorizing. Acad. Manag. Discov. 4(4), 404–409 (2018). https://doi.org/10.5465/amd.
2018.0084
5. Fosso Wamba, S., Bawack, R.E., Guthrie, C., Queiroz, M.M., Carillo, K.D.A.: Are we prepar-
ing for a good AI society? A bibliometric review and research agenda. Technol. Forecast. Soc.
Change 164, 120482 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2020.120482
6. Dwivedi, Y.K., et al.: Artificial intelligence (AI): multidisciplinary perspectives on emerging
challenges, opportunities, and agenda for research, practice and policy. Int. J. Inform. Manag.
57, 101994 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2019.08.002
7. Dubey, R.: Can big data and predictive analytics improve social and environmental
sustainability? (2017)
8. Amabile, T.M.: The social psychology of creativity: a componential conceptualization. J.
Pers. Soc. Psychol. 45(2), 357–376 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.45.2.357
9. Sarkar, P., Chakrabarti, A.: The effect of representation of triggers on design outcomes. Artif.
Intell. Eng. Des. Anal. Manuf. AIEDAM 22(2), 101–116 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1017/S08
90060408000073
10. Mosteanu, N.R.: Improving quality of online teaching finance and business management using
artificial intelligence and backward design. Qual. to Success 23(187), 1–12 (2022). https://
doi.org/10.47750/QAS/23.187.01
11. Mariani, M.M., Machado, I., Nambisan, S.: Types of innovation and artificial intelligence:
a systematic quantitative literature review and research agenda. J. Bus. Res. 155, 113364
(2023). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.113364
12. Dirican, C.: The impacts of robotics, artificial intelligence on business and economics.
Procedia – Soc. Behav. Sci. 195, 564–573 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.
06.134
13. Wamba-Taguimdje, S.-L., Fosso Wamba, S., Kala Kamdjoug, J.R., Tchatchouang Wanko,
C.E.: Influence of artificial intelligence (AI) on firm performance: the business value of AI-
based transformation projects. Bus. Process Manag. J. 26(7), 1893–1924 (2020). https://doi.
org/10.1108/BPMJ-10-2019-0411
14. Verganti, R., Vendraminelli, L., Iansiti, M.: Innovation and design in the age of artificial
intelligence. J. Prod. Innov. Manag. 37(3), 212–227 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1111/jpim.
12523
15. Pietronudo, M.C., Croidieu, G., Schiavone, F.: A solution looking for problems? A systematic
literature review of the rationalizing influence of artificial intelligence on decision-making
in innovation management. Technol. Forecast. Soc. Change 182, 121828 (2022). https://doi.
org/10.1016/j.techfore.2022.121828
16. Duan, Y., Edwards, J.S., Dwivedi, Y.K.: Artificial intelligence for decision making in the
era of Big Data – evolution, challenges and research agenda. Int. J. Inf. Manage. 48, 63–71
(2019). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2019.01.021
17. Bahoo, S., Cucculelli, M., Qamar, D.: Artificial intelligence and corporate innovation: a review
and research agenda. Technol. Forecast. Soc. Change 188, 122264 (2023). https://doi.org/10.
1016/j.techfore.2022.122264
18. Cautela, C., Mortati, M.: The impact of Artificial Intelligence on Design Thinking practice.
Insights from the ecosystem of startups. Strateg. Des. Res. J. 12(1), 114–134 (2019). https://
doi.org/10.4013/sdrj.2019.121.08
19. Boyd, R., Holton, R.J.: Technology, innovation, employment and power: does robotics and
artificial intelligence really mean social transformation? J. Sociol. 54(3), 331–345 (2018).
https://doi.org/10.1177/1440783317726591
20. Kumar, S., Lim, W.M., Sivarajah, U., Kaur, J.: Artificial intelligence and blockchain integra-
tion in business: trends from a bibliometric-content analysis. Inf. Syst. Front. https://doi.org/
10.1007/s10796-022-10279-0
148 Y. Liu et al.

21. Ismail, A., Sam, M.F.M., Abu Bakar, K., Ahamat, A., Adam, S., Qureshi, M.I.: Artificial
intelligence in healthcare business ecosystem: a bibliometric study. Int. J. Online Biomed.
Eng. 18(09), 100–114 (2022). https://doi.org/10.3991/ijoe.v18i09.32251
22. Truong, Y., Papagiannidis, S.: Artificial intelligence as an enabler for innovation: a review
and future research agenda. Technolo. Forecas. Soc. Change 183, 121852 (2022). https://doi.
org/10.1016/j.techfore.2022.121852
23. Trocin, C., IV., Hovland, P Mikalef, Dremel, C.: How artificial intelligence affords digi-
tal innovation: a cross-case analysis of Scandinavian companies. Technolo. Forecast. Soc.
Change 173, 121081 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2021.121081
24. Allal-Chérif, O.: Intelligent cathedrals: using augmented reality, virtual reality, and artificial
intelligence to provide an intense cultural, historical, and religious visitor experience. Technol.
Forecast. Soc. Change 178, 121604 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2022.121604
25. Chatterjee, S., Rana, N.P., Tamilmani, K., Sharma, A.: The effect of AI-based CRM on orga-
nization performance and competitive advantage: an empirical analysis in the B2B context.
Ind. Mark. Manag. 97(January), 205–219 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2021.
07.013
26. Paschen, U., Pitt, C., Kietzmann, J.: Artificial intelligence: building blocks and an innovation
typology. Bus. Horiz. 63(2), 147–155 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2019.10.004
27. Hutchinson, P.: Reinventing innovation management: the impact of self-innovating artificial
intelligence. IEEE Trans. Eng. Manag. 68(2), 628–639 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1109/TEM.
2020.2977222
28. Correia, M.J., Matos, F.: The impact of artificial intelligence on innovation management:
a literature review. In: Proceedings of the 16th European Conference on Innovation and
Entrepreneurship (ECIE 2021), vol 1, no. 16th European Conference on Innovation and
Entrepreneurship (ECIE). pp. 222–230 (2021). https://doi.org/10.34190/EIE.21.225
29. Botega, L.F.D., Silva, J.C.: An artificial intelligence approach to support knowledge man-
agement on the selection of creativity and innovation techniques. J. Knowl. Manag. 24(5),
1107–1130 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1108/JKM-10-2019-0559
30. Sui, X.: Innovation of artificial intelligence and digital media in environmental art design.
Wireless Commun. Mobile Comput. 2022, 1–12 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/433
2439