Investigating Trust Perceptions Toward AI in Industrial Designers

AI is increasingly present in creative industries, including industrial design. However, there is insufficient understanding of professionals’ perceptions of such tools. This knowledge is crucial for fostering adoption and trust in technology. The article explores designers’ perceptions and trust in these tools and examines the possibilities for integration and collaboration. It employs a mixed-methods explanatory sequential approach to investigate these professionals’ trust in AI during the creative stages of New Product Development (NPD), such as sketching and rendering. The results reveal designers’ limited trust in AI tools, influenced equally by their perceptions of the artifacts’ risk, competency, and benevolence. Participants envisioned AI as a future adjunct to their toolkit, pinpointing ethics, transparency, tool control, and efficiency as areas for improvement. The study offers insights into fostering trust and presents design recommendations for future AI-enabled applications in industrial design. It sheds light on AI’s potential as a creative partner, underlining the need for ethical and transparent integration.