<p>This study examined how AI literacy contributes to creative learning outcomes in undergraduate design education. It also tested whether perceived Human–AI Co-Creation Quality (HCCQ) mediates this relationship and explored gender-related subgroup patterns. Data were collected from 504 undergraduate design students enrolled in studio-based courses at eight universities. The measures covered AI literacy, HCCQ, and three dimensions of creative performance: novelty, productivity, and appropriateness. Mixed-rater evaluations were used to reduce common-method bias. The results showed that AI literacy positively predicted all three dimensions of creative performance. HCCQ significantly mediated the relationships between AI literacy and each outcome, supporting a partial mediation model. This suggests that AI literacy supports creative learning both directly, as a capability resource, and indirectly, through higher-quality human–AI co-creation. Multi-group analyses suggested an exploratory subgroup pattern. Male students tended to show relatively stronger direct pathways, whereas female students tended to show more consistent HCCQ-mediated pathways. These patterns are descriptive and should not be interpreted as evidence that gender moderates the mediated pathway. The study proposes a capability–experience–outcome framework and highlights the role of co-creation quality in translating AI literacy into educational value. The findings suggest that studio-based course designs can enhance creative learning by emphasizing prompt iteration, reflective feedback, and structured human–AI collaboration across multiple dimensions of design performance.</p>