Empowerment or Stratification? The Dual Impact of Generative Artificial Intelligence on the Competency Structure and Future Development of Design

Naixin Hou; Bo Gao

doi:10.62177/chst.v3i2.1286

Authors

Naixin Hou Lanzhou University
Bo Gao The City Vocational College Of Jiangsu

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.62177/chst.v3i2.1286

Keywords:

Generative AI, Design Students, Competency Structure, Future Development, Educational Stratification, Design Education

Abstract

Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is rapidly permeating design education, creative practice, and professional preparation, continuously reshaping the competency structure and developmental trajectories of design students. From the dual perspectives of technological empowerment and educational stratification, this study examines how GenAI reconstructs students’ competencies, expands their professional imagination, and simultaneously intensifies developmental disparities.

The findings suggest that, on the one hand, GenAI enhances students’ capabilities in creative ideation, information integration, cross-media expression, and human–AI collaboration. On the other hand, disparities in technology access, digital literacy, aesthetic judgment, and educational resources contribute to increasing differentiation within the student population.

In response, this paper argues that design education should systematically incorporate AI literacy, critical thinking, aesthetic judgment, and originality into its curriculum, so as to address the evolving demands of talent cultivation in the age of artificial intelligence.

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