Pushing divergence and promoting convergence in a speculative design process: Considerations on the role of AI as a co-creation partner

Abstract

Within design research, several studies have looked at Artificial Intelligence as a tool to help ideation processes. However, the potential of using Artificial Intelli- gence to support a specific characteristic of the design process, namely the interplay between divergent and convergent thinking, remains underexplored. Aiming to ad- dress this gap, this paper examines how 136 students interacted with Artificial Intelli- gence on the occasion of two courses run by the authors in a prominent European design school.