Reframing creative learning: a conceptual framework for design literacy in the GenAI era

Introduction. Generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) is reshaping how creative learning engages with information. GenAI systems extend access and accelerate ideation, yet they also introduce epistemic unreliability, diminished originality, and ethical ambiguity. This research examines how design learning across formal, non-formal, and informal settings are destabilised by GenAI’s mediation of information and argues for a framework to sustain design literacy in the GenAI era.

Method. This study employs a conceptual framework–building approach, drawing on information science, AI literacy, and design pedagogy to articulate four planes of competency: epistemic, operational, ethical–legal, and reflective. It is developed through integrative literature review and abductive synthesis, clustering concepts across disciplines.

Analysis. Within these planes, nine action components are identified: provenance tracing, uncertainty tagging, cross-modal triangulation, plausibility checks, prompt engineering, iterative prototyping with AI, bias and harm review, authorship disclosure, and reflective critique. Their application is illustrated through scenarios across contexts varying formality.

Results. The framework shows how these competencies preserve curiosity, iteration, and originality while mitigating misinformation, bias, and overreliance on GenAI.

Conclusion(s). This study proposes a conceptual framework for GenAI-impacted creative learning, reframes design literacy as information practice, and outlines a research agenda for empirical validation in curricula, cultural programs, and informal learning.