Artificial intelligence literacy in design intelligence: A review

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and design has given rise to “design intelligence (DI),” an ecosystem encompassing both AI applications in design (AI for design) and the intelligent design of AI systems (design for AI). Despite growing interest in AI and design, existing studies often address these two perspectives separately, creating a significant gap in the literature. This evolving field highlights the pivotal role of AI literacy in ensuring the responsible use and development of AI-driven design technologies. This article presents a comprehensive literature review synthesizing research across AI literacy, AI-driven design for design (AiDD) and DI. Drawing on educational research, design thinking, and AI implementation studies, this review proposes a novel layered framework for AI literacy, tailored to the DI context. The findings identify AI literacy as a foundational element for effective engagement with these AI-driven design frameworks. Enhancing AI literacy among diverse stakeholders could improve understanding, adoption, and ethical application of these technologies. The analysis reveals a reciprocal relationship between AI for design and design for AI, which together form the core of the AiDD paradigm. In addition, AI literacy is shown to be multidimensional, encompassing technical competence, ethical reasoning, critical evaluation, creative application, and adaptive learning. This review further emphasizes the role of AI literacy in fostering human–AI collaboration, maintaining quality and effectiveness, promoting responsible use, and supporting democratized access to advanced design tools. Overall, strengthening AI literacy is essential for empowering society to harness intelligent systems responsibly and effectively, supporting the sustainable development and integration of AI into evolving design practices.