Ethical human-AI collaboration in design education – past, present, and future

Abstract Design education has historically evolved from craft-based master-apprentice models to human-centred and interdisciplinary approaches. Generative AI represents a further shift that fundamentally changes creative processes and requires design education to adapt it’s curricula and graduate competencies. This paper examines how human-AI collaboration is currently integrated into design education through a qualitative study combining interviews with design educators and observations of undergraduate student projects. The findings indicate that AI tools are increasingly accepted as part of contemporary design practice but primarily positioned as supports for ideation and early prototyping rather than as a replacement for creative judgement. Building on both historical perspectives and empirical findings, the paper outlines short-, mid-, and long-term implications for design education. It suggests that AI may progressively transform the traditional master-apprentice model and reinforces the value of distinctly human contributions. As AI-generated design becomes more widespread and homogenous, design education and professional practice may increasingly differentiate between AI- and human-made design, potentially splitting curricula and markets.