The commodification of creativity: Integrating generative artificial intelligence in higher education design curriculum
Open accessAbstract
The academic questions posed by the introduction of Generative AI (GenAI) into design higher education are many and reflect educators’uneasiness about its ethical use. Like any new radical technology breakthrough, GenAI straddles a pedagogical fence that divides opinion and focuses on a basic question: How can design educators harness Generative AI’s power without compromising the fundamentals of design education? This study contributes to foundational research on how to incorporate GenAI into design education without compromising and commodifying the creative process. This research examines design students’ experiences using GenAI in the context of studio practice of a second-year visual communication design course in a Bachelor of Design programme. Reflective comments are analysed and used to inform recommendations for a structured pedagogic approach for implementing GenAI as a building block for the design creative process into the curriculum.
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Discipline-specific AI applications are being employed to tailor AI integration in ways that respect the epistemological and methodological norms of different fields.
“discipline-specific AI applications are being employed to tailor AI integration in ways that respect the epistemological and methodological norms of different fields (Bearman & Ajjawi, 2023; Fleischmann, 2025; Huang et al., 2024; Usher & Barak, 2024).”
From Six Institutional Intervention Areas to Support Ethical and Effective Student Use of Generative AI in Higher Education: A Narrative Review (2026) · cites this paper as Fleischmann, 2025
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- Authors
- Fleischmann, K.
- Affiliations
- Griffith University (AU)
- Corresponding author
- Fleischmann, Katja
- ORCID
- Fleischmann, Katja
- Venue
- Innovations in Education and Teaching International
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2024-11-08
- Volume
- 62
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 1843-1857
- ISSN
- 1470-3297 (ISSN-L)
- 1470-3300
- OpenAlex
- W4404209117
- Cited by
- 28
- References
- 34
- Citations by year
- 2026: 20 · 2025: 8
- FWCI
- 10.53
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- hdl.handle.net
- Licence
- cc-by-nc
- Locations
- Innovations in Education and Teaching International (publishedVersion)
- Griffith Research Online (acceptedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Information Systems › Artificial Intelligence in Education
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Mechanical Engineering › Design Education and Practice
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Computer Graphics and Computer-Aided Design › Digital Media and Visual Art
- Keywords
- generative AI, design education, visual communication design, creative process, commodification of creativity, AI ethics in education, studio practice, design curriculum, student experience, teaching methods
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