Communicating the use of generative AI to design students: Fostering ethics rather than teaching it

This paper presents a means of communicating to design students the appropriate use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) in their studies. It underscores the need to consider broader aspects such as individual student identity and ethical considerations, given the emerging popularity of GenAI. The paper explores the necessity for students to acknowledge their use of GenAI. It draws parallels between GenAI and traditional design resources, likening the use of GenAI to leveraging other designers' work and assistance received during projects. This analogy is employed as a strategy to link the decision to disclose the use of GenAI with the students' designer identity. The delineation between contexts in which students are permitted to use GenAI and those in which they are encouraged to do so is tied to their intended learning outcomes. Several case studies, both hypothetical and real, are discussed and analyzed to support the points raised in this paper.