Navigating Artificial Intelligence with Creative Agency: Reflective Practices in Design Studio in Aotearoa New Zealand

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36704/transverso.v1i18.10399

Keywords:

design studio, artificial intelligence, reflective practice, creative education, technological awareness

Abstract

This article investigates how communication design students develop critical awareness when integrating artificial intelligence (AI) tools into their creative processes. Based on three years of ethnographic observation (2022–2024) in a final-year undergraduate design studio in New Zealand, the study documents pedagogical approaches that position AI as a situated tool within broader design practices, rather than as a central focus. Through structured reflection-in-action workshops, students build ethical frameworks for conscious tool selection, resisting algorithmic biases while exploring creative possibilities. Findings reveal that systematic reflective practices enable emerging designers to maintain creative agency and cultural sensitivity when working with AI technologies, particularly within a bicultural educational context informed by Te Tiriti o Waitangi and Māori epistemologies.

Author Biography

Marcos Mortensen Steagall, Auckland Univesity of Technology

Marcos Mortensen Steagall is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Design at Auckland University of Technology (AUT), where he leads the Postgraduate Programme in Communication Design and serves as the Course Leader for the Year 3 Programme. Dr. Mortensen Steagall earned his Master's degree (2000) and PhD (2006) in Communication & Semiotics from The Pontifical Catholic University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. In 2015, he relocated to Aotearoa New Zealand to undertake a PhD in Art & Design at AUT, focusing on practice-led research, landscape photography, and Māori epistemologies, which he completed in 2018. In his research and professional pursuits, Dr. Mortensen Steagall explores the intersection of visual semiotics and practice-oriented methodologies in Art, Design, Communication, and Technology. He integrates decolonial methodologies and indigenous epistemologies, particularly emphasising the connection between creative practices and indigenous traditions within the South-to-South collaboration and Pluriverse context. His artistic practice, primarily centred on lens-based and digital image-making, serves as a method for knowledge production. This approach allows for an in-depth exploration of visual language to articulate human experiences, underlining the role of mixed media in narrating complex stories. Dr. Mortensen Steagall's work is characterised by an interdisciplinary approach that merges academic research with artistic practice, highlighting the significance of embracing diverse cultural narratives and knowledge systems in Design. Additionally, he is the editor of the academic journal LINK Praxis and chairs the LINK International Conference, focusing on Practice-led Research and the Global South.

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Published

2025-12-19

How to Cite

Mortensen Steagall, M. (2025). Navigating Artificial Intelligence with Creative Agency: Reflective Practices in Design Studio in Aotearoa New Zealand. TRANSVERSO, 1(18). https://doi.org/10.36704/transverso.v1i18.10399

Issue

Vol. 1 No. 18 (2025): Transverso: diálogos entre design, cultura e sociedade

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Artigos Científicos ou Tecnológicos

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