{"id":1574,"date":"2026-07-21T08:08:38","date_gmt":"2026-07-21T08:08:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visible-language.org\/journal\/?p=1574"},"modified":"2026-07-21T08:08:38","modified_gmt":"2026-07-21T08:08:38","slug":"issue-60-2-are-you-sure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visible-language.org\/journal\/issue-60-2-are-you-sure\/","title":{"rendered":"Are You Sure? Exploring the Challenges and Opportunities of Using Generative AI in Communication Design Projects: A Cross\u2011Cultural Case Study of Student Reflections, Bias, and Critical Engagement"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Issue 60.2<\/h5>\n

The Chocolate and Oyster Flavored Donut Hole Of Unoriginality<\/a><\/p>\n

Graphic Neutralization and Gender Stereotypes in Early Childhood: How Visual Variables Shape Children\u2019s Interpretations<\/a><\/p>\n

Illustrated Letterforms: A Taxonomy of Graphemic Construction<\/a><\/p>\n

Are You Sure? Exploring the Challenges and Opportunities of Using Generative AI in Communication Design Projects: A Cross\u2011Cultural Case Study of Student Reflections, Bias, and Critical Engagement<\/a><\/p>\n

The Concept of a Large Language Model: Misconceptions About and Beneficial Conceptualizations of LLM Technology<\/a><\/p>\n

Download Issue 60.2 \u27a4<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Are You Sure? Exploring the Challenges and Opportunities of Using Generative AI in Communication Design Projects: A Cross\u2011Cultural Case Study of Student Reflections, Bias, and Critical Engagement<\/h1>\n

Halld\u00f3r Bj\u00f6rn Halld\u00f3rsson<\/h3>\n

Department of Health Sciences, Innovation & Design, M\u00e4lardalen University, Eskilstuna, Sweden (halldor.bjorn.halldorsson[at]mdu.se)<\/h4>\n
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Abstract:<\/span> Regardless of whether we approach Generative AI (GenAI) with apprehension or enthusiasm, the fact remains that AI has already made its way into many aspects of personal and professional life\u2014including the field of communication design and, by extension, the education of future designers. While there is currently no consensus on how to incorporate GenAI into design education, the technical development within AI is happening faster than most of us can keep up with, and the ways in which we can utilise AI are becoming more varied by the day. Considering that the integration of AI in design will only increase in the coming years, it is essential to build strategies for preparing our students for their future careers. This paper presents a joint project conducted in autumn 2025 by two universities in Sweden and Australia that tasked students with creating posters representing an unfamiliar city using only AI\u2011generated imagery. Through reflective writing, discussions, and analysis of their visual outcomes, the study examines how students negotiated both the opportunities and obstacles posed by GenAI. The project is framed against current literature on GenAI in design and education and seeks to contribute to the ongoing discourse on how design education can adapt to emerging technologies while maintaining critical and creative integrity. Findings show that while students valued GenAI\u2019s capacity for rapid ideation, they also encountered issues such as factual inaccuracy, stylistic inconsistency, and cultural bias. These challenges underscored the importance of maintaining strong foundational design skills, as well as developing students\u2019 critical awareness of the ethical, cultural, and semiotic implications of AI\u2011generated imagery. The study contributes insights into how communication design education might meaningfully integrate GenAI while sustaining critical and creative integrity.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Keywords:<\/span> communication design education; design pedagogy; generative AI (GenAI); ideation and creativity; prompting; reflective practice<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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