Exploring Research Trends in AI-Integrated Design Education

The rapid spread of artificial intelligence (AI) technology presents both new opportunities and challenges to design education, requiring active adaptation by educators and learners. This study collected 318 papers related to AI-integrated design education and analyzed research trends, major keywords, and emotional tendencies using text mining techniques (TF-IDF, N-gram, CONCOR, and sentiment analysis). First, the analysis of research trends showed that related research has increased rapidly since 2019 and research topics have recently expanded to creative process innovation, human–AI collaboration, collaborative learning environment creation, and ethical utilization. Second, the keyword analysis results showed that “design,” “education,” “AI,” “student,” “creativity,” and “tool” appeared frequently, and words with high TF-IDF scores included “student,” “fashion,” “generate,” “tool,” and “architecture,” showing that AI is being actively utilized in creative education centered on practice. N-gram analysis emphasized the relevance of generative AI tools and convergence design education. CONCOR analysis categorized keywords into four closely related clusters: (1) conceptual foundations and educational integration, (2) creativity and design processes, (3) applications of text-based image-generating AI, and (4) practical applications in industrial contexts. Third, the results of sentiment analysis showed a positive overall trend, confirming that AI technology is contributing to enhancing creativity and creating an innovative educational environment. In addition, it pointed out problems to be solved, such as conflicts with traditional educational models, weakening creativity, and ethical issues. This study systematically examined the educational utilization trends and major issues of AI in the field of design education, thereby providing basic data for establishing sustainable educational strategies that reflect creativity and ethics.