Product Design: The Evolving Role of Generative AI in Creative Workflows
Jeremiah Folorunso1, Rajesh Vayyala2, Oladiipo Oladepo3, Mercy Oluwatumininu Kolapo4, & Victoria A Ogunsanya5
1Product (UI/UX) Designer, Soft Alliance and Resource, Nigeria
2Principal Data Architect, PRA Group Inc, United States
3Research Assistant, New Mexico State University, United States
4Product (UI/UX) Designer, Custos Diretriz, Nigeria
5Cybersecurity Analyst, University of Bradford, United Kingdom
DOI – http://doi.org/10.37502/IJSMR.2025.8401
Abstract
This paper investigates how generative artificial intelligence is changing consumer product design. Examining scientific publications, business reports, and case studies, it looks at the benefits, negatives, and likely directions of AI-driven design tools. Apart from reducing costs and optimizing resources, generative artificial intelligence reveals that it speeds ideation and boosts design iterations, thereby enhancing efficiency. Studies have revealed obstacles include technological constraints, difficulties in workforce adaption, ethical questions about discrimination and originality, and the complexity of laws. Data shows that selecting AI-generated content for exhibition is primarily depending on human designers. Specifically, previous preparation, legal understanding, and staff development investment in particular determine a successful AI integration. A moment when generative artificial intelligence has already started to affect design processes argues for a more complicated approach using both technology knowledge-how and human imagination. This paper provides ideas and achievable guidance for negotiating this changing landscape of product design.
Keywords: Generative AI, Product Design, Creative Workflows, Artificial Intelligence Adoption, Design Automation
References
- Abrantes, B. F., Preto, M. T., & António, N. (2022). Toward a dynamic capabilities’ diffusion model for international business headway of SMEs: evidence from the metallurgic and metal-mechanic (MMI) sectors. Review of International Business and Strategy, 32(2), 204-227.
- Abrishami, S., Goulding, J., & Rahimian, F. (2021). Generative BIM workspace for AEC conceptual design automation: Prototype development. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 28(2), 482-509.
- Adobe Communications Team (2024). Creative pros are leveraging Generative AI to do more and better work. Adobe Blog February 2. Retrieved from https://blog.adobe.com/en/publish/2024/02/02/creative-pros-generative-ai-usage Accessed March 21, 2025.
- Ahmed, Z., Kumar, U., & Kumar, V. (2018). Managing critical success factors for IS implementation: A stakeholder engagement and control perspective. Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences/Revue Canadienne des Sciences de l’Administration, 35(3), 403-418.
- Airbus (2024, May 28). Airbus’s generative weight optimization program achieved 12.8% material reduction for aircraft components. Retrieved from https://www.airbus.com/en/newsroom/stories/2024-05-how-airbus-uses-generative-artificial-intelligence-to-reinvent-itself Accessed March 20, 2025.
- Al-Sharafi, M. A., Al-Emran, M., Arpaci, I., Iahad, N. A., AlQudah, A. A., Iranmanesh, M., & Al-Qaysi, N. (2023). Generation Z use of artificial intelligence products and its impact on environmental sustainability: A cross-cultural comparison. Computers in Human Behavior, 143, 107708.
- Amazon AWS (2024). Ferrari Advances Generative AI for Customer Personalization and Production Efficiency. Retrieved from https://aws.amazon.com/solutions/case-studies/ferrari-generative-ai-case-study/ Accessed March 21, 2025.
- Attah, R. U., Garba, B. M. P., Gil-Ozoudeh, I., & Iwuanyanwu, O. (2024). Cross-functional team dynamics in technology management: a comprehensive review of efficiency and innovation enhancement. Eng Sci Technol J, 5(12), 3248-65.
- Banga, B. (2023). Medtronic tackles supply chain challenges in a bid to return to profitability. Medical Technology Article. Retrieved from https://medical-technology.nridigital.com/medical_technology_mar24/medtronic_tackles_supply_chain_challenges_in_a_bid_to_return_to_profitability Accessed March 21, 2025.
- Barra, V., & Corona, F. (2023). Artificial Intelligence And Learning Environments: The Role Of NLP. In ICERI2023 Proceedings (pp. 6007-6014). IATED.
- Begemann, A., & Hutson, J. (2024). Empirical insights into AI-assisted game development: A case study on the integration of generative AI tools in creative pipelines. Metaverse, 5(2).
- Blakey-Milner, B., Gradl, P., Snedden, G., Brooks, M., Pitot, J., Lopez, E., Leary, M., Berto, F. & Du Plessis, A. (2021). Metal additive manufacturing in aerospace: A review. Materials & Design, 209, p.110008.
- Caetano, I., Santos, L., & Leitão, A. (2020). Computational design in architecture: Defining parametric, generative, and algorithmic design. Frontiers of Architectural Research, 9(2), 287-300.
- Carpo, M. (2023). Beyond digital: design and automation at the end of modernity. MIT Press.
- Celeste, A. (2024). Utilization and Justification of Generative AI Technologies for Schematic Architectural Design. Rochester Institute of Technology.
- Chan, K.Y., Kwong, C.K., Wongthongtham, P., Jiang, H., Fung, C.K., Abu-Salih, B., Liu, Z., Wong, T.C. & Jain, P. (2020). Affective design using machine learning: a survey and its prospect of conjoining big data. International Journal of Computer Integrated Manufacturing, 33(7), pp.645-669.
- Channi, H. K., Kaur, A., & Kaur, S. (2025). AI‐Driven Generative Design Redefines the Engineering Process. Generative Artificial Intelligence in Finance: Large Language Models, Interfaces, and Industry Use Cases to Transform Accounting and Finance Processes, 327-359.
- Chiou, L. Y., Hung, P. K., Liang, R. H., & Wang, C. T. (2023, July). Designing with AI: An exploration of co-ideation with image generators. In Proceedings of the 2023 ACM designing interactive systems conference (pp. 1941-1954).
- Chui, M., Hazan, E., Roberts, R., Singla, A., & Smaje, K. (2023). The economic potential of generative AI: The next productivity frontier. Retrieved from https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/the-economic-potential-of-generative-ai-the-next-productivity-frontier#introduction Accessed March 20, 2025.
- Clegg, C. W. (2000). Sociotechnical principles for system design. Applied ergonomics, 31(5), 463-477.
- Corvello, V. (2025). Generative AI and the future of innovation management: A human centered perspective and an agenda for future research. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, 11(1), 100456.
- Cross, N. (2007). From a design science to a design discipline: Understanding designerly ways of knowing and thinking. In Design research now (pp. 41-54). Birkhäuser Basel.
- Davis, F. D. (1989). Technology acceptance model: TAM. Al-Suqri, MN, Al-Aufi, AS: Information Seeking Behavior and Technology Adoption, 205(219), 5.
- Dhamani, N. (2024). Introduction to generative AI. Simon and Schuster.
- Dominguez, L. (2024). P&G Taps into AI and Automation for Faster, Smarter Operations. Consumer Goods Article March 12. Retrieved from https://consumergoods.com/pg-taps-ai-and-automation-faster-smarter-operations Accessed March 20, 2025.
- European Commission (2025). AI Act. Retrieved from https://digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/regulatory-framework-ai#:~:text=To%20ensure%20safe%20and%20trustworthy,become%20effective%20in%20August%202025. Accessed March 22, 2025
- Ez-Zaouia, M., & Carrillo, R. (2024). The group folding effect: The role of collaborative process structuring and social interaction in group work. ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction, 31(2), 1-44.
- Fashion Law Business (2024, July 23). Supreme Court Agrees To Consider Copyright Case Between H&M and Fabric Designer On Validity of Registration Of Fabric Design. Retrieved from https://www.fashionlawbusiness.com/flbstories/Supreme%20Court%20Agrees%20To%20Consider%20H&M%20Copyright%20Case%20Over%20Fabric%20Design Accessed March 22, 2025.
- Foster, D. (2022). Generative deep learning. ” O’Reilly Media, Inc.”.
- Foster+Partners (2021). Towards Artificial Intelligence in Architecture: How machine learning can change the way we approach design. Retrieved from https://www.fosterandpartners.com/insights/plus-journal/towards-artificial-intelligence-in-architecture-how-machine-learning-can-change-the-way-we-approach-design Accessed March 20, 2025.
- Frazer, J. (2002). Creative design and the generative evolutionary paradigm. In Creative evolutionary systems (pp. 253-274). Morgan Kaufmann.
- Friesike, S., Flath, C. M., Wirth, M., & Thiesse, F. (2019). Creativity and productivity in product design for additive manufacturing: Mechanisms and platform outcomes of remixing. Journal of Operations Management, 65(8), 735-752.
- Gardas, R., & NarwanE, S. (2024). An analysis of critical factors for adopting machine learning in manufacturing supply chains. Decision Analytics Journal, 10, 100377.
- Gebreab, S., Musamih, A., Salah, K., Jayaraman, R., & Boscovic, D. (2024). Accelerating Digital Twin Development With Generative AI: A Framework for 3D Modeling and Data Integration. IEEE Access.
- Gero, J. S., Kannengiesser, U., & Crilly, N. (2022). Abstracting and formalising the design co-evolution model. Design Science, 8, e14.
- Gero, J. S., Kannengiesser, U., & Pourmohamadi, M. (2014). Commonalities across designing: Empirical results. In Design computing and cognition’12 (pp. 265-281). Dordrecht: Springer Netherlands.
- Getty Images Newsroom (2024, April 30). Nearly 90% of Consumers Want Transparency on AI Images finds Getty Images Report. Retrieved from https://newsroom.gettyimages.com/en/getty-images/nearly-90-of-consumers-want-transparency-on-ai-images-finds-getty-images-report Accessed March 19, 2025.
- Green Car Congress (2018). GM using Autodesk generative design software for lightweighting work. Retrieved from https://www.greencarcongress.com/2018/05/20180503-gm.html Accessed March 12, 2025.
- Griffith, A. E., Katuka, G. A., Wiggins, J. B., Boyer, K. E., Freeman, J., Magerko, B., & McKlin, T. (2021, June). Discovering co-creative dialogue states during collaborative learning. In International Conference on Artificial Intelligence in Education (pp. 165-177). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
- Hexagon (2019). Ford Motor Company Uses Digimat for NVH Optimization. Retrieved from https://simulatemore.mscsoftware.com/ford-motor-company-uses-digimat-for-nvh-optimization/ Accessed March 22, 2025.
- Hoffmann, M., Boysel, S., Nagle, F., Peng, S., & Xu, K. (2024). Generative AI and the Nature of Work (No. 11479). CESifo Working Paper.
- Ibarrola, F., Lawton, T., & Grace, K. (2023). A collaborative, interactive and context-aware drawing agent for co-creative design. IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics, 30(8), 5525-5537.
- Jiang, R. X. (2023). Research on the Digital Marketing Strategy of Adidas. Advances in Economics, Management and Political Sciences, 54, 306-312.
- Jiao, R., Commuri, S., Panchal, J., Milisavljevic-Syed, J., Allen, J. K., Mistree, F., & Schaefer, D. (2021). Design engineering in the age of industry 4.0. Journal of Mechanical Design, 143(7), 070801.
- Jokonya, O., Kroeze, J. H., & van der Poll, J. A. (2012, October). Towards a framework for decision making regarding IT adoption. In Proceedings of the South African Institute for Computer Scientists and Information Technologists Conference (pp. 316-325).
- KPMG (2023). Building trust in analytics: Breaking the cycle of mistrust in D&A. Retrieved from https://assets.kpmg.com/content/dam/kpmg/xx/pdf/2016/10/building-trust-in-analytics.pdf Accessed March 20, 2025.
- Kshetri, N. (2024). The Rise of Generative Artificial Intelligence: Impact on Societies, Economies and Enterprises. Edward Elgar Publishing.
- Law, M. (2025). IKEA Parent Deploys AI in €41.8bn Sustainability Push. AI Magazine Article, January 31. Retrieved from https://aimagazine.com/articles/what-does-ingka-annual-report-say-about-ikea-sustainability Accessed March 15, 2025.
- Leach, N. (2021). Architecture in the age of artificial intelligence. London : Bloomsbury Publishing, 272 p. ISBN: 9781350165533 – Permalink: http://digital.casalini.it/9781350165533 – Casalini id: 5200718
- Lee, K. (2024). Between inspiration and conceptual design: Kia Global Design explores generative AI for automotive design. Autodesk Article November 6. Retrieved from https://www.autodesk.com/design-make/articles/kia-generative-ai-for-automotive-design Accessed March 18, 2025.
- Lin, J., Li, Q., Wang, C., & Hu, Z. (2024). Product development and design framework based on interactive innovation in the metaverse perspective. Applied System Innovation, 7(4), 58.
- Lyall, I. (2025). Proactive Article, March 24. Adobe: Does Firefly hold the key success in the AI era? This leading investment bank thinks so. Retrieved from https://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk/companies/news/1068384/adobe-does-firefly-hold-the-key-success-in-the-ai-era-this-leading-investment-bank-thinks-so-1068384.html Accessed March 22, 2025.
- Mathews, A. (2024). How Nike is Using AI to Transform Product Design, Customer Experience, and Operational Efficiency. Aim Research Article July 3. Retrieved from https://aimresearch.co/market-industry/how-nike-is-using-ai-to-transform-product-design-customer-experience-and-operational-efficiency Accessed March 21, 2025.
- McKinsey (2023, August 1). The state of AI in 2023: Generative AI’s breakout year. https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/quantumblack/our-insights/the-state-of-ai-in-2023-generative-ais-breakout-year Accessed March 22, 2025.
- Muller, M. (2017). PICTIVE: Democratizing the Dynamics of the Design Session 13. In Participatory Design (pp. 211-237). CRC Press.
- Needhi, J. (2024). Netflix and AI: How Artificial Intelligence Powers Streaming Success. Medium Article, June 4. Retrieved from https://medium.com/@jeyadev_needhi/netflix-and-ai-how-artificial-intelligence-powers-streaming-success-16bfeb3338ac Accessed March 14, 2025.
- Ngowi, L., & Mvungi, N. H. (2018). Socio-technical systems: Transforming theory into practice. International Journal of Industrial and Systems Engineering, 12(2), 310-316.
- Oxman, R. (2017). Thinking difference: Theories and models of parametric design thinking. Design studies, 52, 4-39.
- Persson, E. (2025, March 21). Adobe: Equipping the Architects of Digital Expression. Retrived from https://quartr.com/insights/company-research/adobe-equipping-the-architects-of-digital-expression Accessed March 22, 2025.
- Pessôa, M. V. P., & Trabasso, L. G. (2017). The lean product design and development journey. Cham, Switzerland: Springer International Publishing, 66-67.
- Phillips (2024, June 4). Generative AI in healthcare – exploring the possibilities. Retrieved from https://www.philips.com/a-w/about/news/archive/standard/news/articles/2024/generative-ai-in-healthcare-exploring-the-possibilities.html Accessed March 15, 2025.
- Prabhu, S., & Bhat, S. (2020). Application of Artificial Intelligence in Samsung–A Case Study. Prabhu, Sangeetha, & Bhat, Subrahmanya,(2020). Application of Artificial Intelligence in Samsung–A Case Study. International Journal of Case Studies in Business, IT, and Education (IJCSBE), 4(2), 280-292.
- Putro, A. K., & Takahashi, Y. (2024). Entrepreneurs’ creativity, information technology adoption, and continuance intention: Mediation effects of perceived usefulness and ease of use and the moderation effect of entrepreneurial orientation. Heliyon, 10(3).
- Rane, N. (2023). Potential role and challenges of ChatGPT and similar generative artificial intelligence in architectural engineering. International Journal of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.
- Roettgers, J. (2023). Ikea’s generative AI furniture designs are trippy, retro, and inspiring. Fast Company Article March 26. Retrieved from https://www.fastcompany.com/90871133/ikea-generative-ai-furniture-design Accessed March 18, 2025.
- Sadek, M., Calvo, R. A., & Mougenot, C. (2024). Designing value-sensitive AI: a critical review and recommendations for socio-technical design processes. AI and Ethics, 4(4), 949-967.
- Salvador, E., Simon, J. P., & Benghozi, P. J. (2019). Facing disruption: The cinema value chain in the digital age. International Journal of Arts Management, 25-40.
- Sanders, K. (2022). Voices of Design Leadership: Insights from Top Collaborative Design Firms. John Wiley & Sons.
- Schleiger, E., Mason, C., Naughtin, C., Reeson, A., & Paris, C. (2024). Collaborative Intelligence: A scoping review of current applications. Applied Artificial Intelligence, 38(1), 2327890.
- Shen, S. C., Khare, E., Lee, N. A., Saad, M. K., Kaplan, D. L., & Buehler, M. J. (2023). Computational design and manufacturing of sustainable materials through first-principles and materiomics. Chemical Reviews, 123(5), 2242-2275.
- Spring, M., Faulconbridge, J., & Sarwar, A. (2022). How information technology automates and augments processes: Insights from Artificial‐Intelligence‐based systems in professional service operations. Journal of Operations Management, 68(6-7), 592-618.
- Stöhr, B., Koldewey, C., & Dumitrescu, R. (2023). The role of design in interdisciplinary product development–challenges, research approaches and further research needs. Proceedings of the Design Society, 3, 3473-3482.
- Susskind, R., & Susskind, D. (2022). The future of the professions: How technology will transform the work of human experts. Oxford University Press.
- Trist, E. L., & Bamforth, K. W. (1951). Some social and psychological consequences of the longwall method of coal-getting: An examination of the psychological situation and defences of a work group in relation to the social structure and technological content of the work system. Human relations, 4(1), 3-38.
- Venkatesh, V., & Davis, F. D. (2000). A theoretical extension of the technology acceptance model: Four longitudinal field studies. Management science, 46(2), 186-204.
- Volkswagen (2025). Advanced Training, Development Paths & Career Planning. Retrieved from https://www.volkswagen-karriere.de/en/working-at-volkswagen/Advanced-Training-Development-Paths-Career-Planning.html Accessed March 22, 2025.
- Wallin, A., Nokelainen, P., & Kira, M. (2022). From thriving developers to stagnant self-doubters: An identity-centered approach to exploring the relationship between digitalization and professional development. Vocations and Learning, 15(2), 285-316.
- Wang, C., Li, Z., & Bonk, C. (2024). Understanding self-directed learning in AI-Assisted writing: A mixed methods study of postsecondary learners. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 6, 100247.
- World Fashion Exchange (2024). How Top Fashion Brands Use Artificial Intelligence. https://www.worldfashionexchange.com/blog/artificial-intelligence-in-fashion/ Accessed March 18, 2025.
- Yee, L., Chui, M., & Roberts, R. (2025). Superagency in the workplace: Empowering people to unlock AI’s full potential. McKinsey & Company Report, January 28. Retrieved from https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/mckinsey-digital/our-insights/superagency-in-the-workplace-empowering-people-to-unlock-ais-full-potential-at-work Accessed March 19, 2025.