# User Experience Design Professionals' Perceptions of Generative Artificial Intelligence

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2309.15237 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2309.15237/

## Key facts

- Cited by 16 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 31 of its 113 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 26 Sep 2023.

## Builds on (most cited first, 30 of 31)

- [GPT-4 Technical Report](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.08774/) (2023)
- [Photorealistic Text-to-Image Diffusion Models with Deep Language Understanding](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2205.11487/) (2022)
- [On the Opportunities and Risks of Foundation Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2108.07258/) (2021)
- [Imagen Video: High Definition Video Generation with Diffusion Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2210.02303/) (2022)
- [AudioLM: a Language Modeling Approach to Audio Generation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2209.03143/) (2022)
- [Social Simulacra: Creating Populated Prototypes for Social Computing Systems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2208.04024/) (2022)
- [The Impact of AI on Developer Productivity: Evidence from GitHub Copilot](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2302.06590/) (2023)
- [Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence: Reliable, Safe & Trustworthy](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2002.04087/) (2020)
- [Power to the People? Opportunities and Challenges for Participatory AI](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2209.07572/) (2022)
- [Art and the science of generative AI: A deeper dive](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2306.04141/) (2023)
- [Evaluating Human-Language Model Interaction](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2212.09746/) (2022)
- [Evaluating the Social Impact of Generative AI Systems in Systems and Society](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2306.05949/) (2023)
- [Human-centered Explainable AI: Towards a Reflective Sociotechnical Approach](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2002.01092/) (2020)
- [Demystifying the Draft EU Artificial Intelligence Act](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2107.03721/) (2021)
- [Consequences of Misaligned AI](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2102.03896/) (2021)
- [How Different Groups Prioritize Ethical Values for Responsible AI](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2205.07722/) (2022)
- [Where Responsible AI meets Reality: Practitioner Perspectives on Enablers for shifting Organizational Practices](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2006.12358/) (2020)
- [On the Power of Foundation Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2211.16327/) (2022)
- [The AI Ghostwriter Effect: When Users Do Not Perceive Ownership of AI-Generated Text But Self-Declare as Authors](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.03283/) (2023)
- [The Prompt Artists](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.12253/) (2023)
- [Designing Participatory AI: Creative Professionals' Worries and Expectations about Generative AI](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.08931/) (2023)
- [Beyond Prompts: Exploring the Design Space of Mixed-Initiative Co-Creativity Systems](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.07465/) (2023)
- [Conceptualising Contestability: Perspectives on Contesting Algorithmic Decisions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2103.01774/) (2021)
- [Exploring Challenges and Opportunities to Support Designers in Learning to Co-create with AI-based Manufacturing Design Tools](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.00192/) (2023)
- [Copyright Protection and Accountability of Generative AI:Attack, Watermarking and Attribution](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.09272/) (2023)
- [Reinforcement Learning for Generative AI: State of the Art, Opportunities and Open Research Challenges](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2308.00031/) (2023)
- [A Word is Worth a Thousand Pictures: Prompts as AI Design Material](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.12647/) (2023)
- [Deceptive AI Ecosystems: The Case of ChatGPT](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2306.13671/) (2023)
- [How Do UX Practitioners Communicate AI as a Design Material? Artifacts, Conceptions, and Propositions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.17389/) (2023)
- [Generative AI for Product Design: Getting the Right Design and the Design Right](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2306.01217/) (2023)

## Built on by (most cited first, 16 of 16)

- [PersonaFlow: Designing LLM-Simulated Expert Perspectives for Enhanced Research Ideation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.12538/) (2024)
- [Contrastive Explanations That Anticipate Human Misconceptions Can Improve Human Decision-Making Skills](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.04253/) (2024)
- [De-skilling, Cognitive Offloading, and Misplaced Responsibilities: Potential Ironies of AI-Assisted Design](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.03924/) (2025)
- [Generative AI in Knowledge Work: Design Implications for Data Navigation and Decision-Making](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.18419/) (2025)
- [Interrogating AI: Characterizing Emergent Playful Interactions with ChatGPT](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2401.08405/) (2024)
- [Vibe Coding in Product Teams: Reconfiguring AI-Assisted Workflows, Prototyping, and Collaboration](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.10652/) (2025)
- [AI Rivalry as a Craft: How Resisting and Embracing Generative AI Reshape Writing Professions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.09901/) (2025)
- [More Human or More AI? Visualizing Human-AI Collaboration Disclosures in Journalistic News Production](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2601.11072/) (2026)
- [Imagining Design Workflows in Agentic AI Futures](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2509.20731/) (2025)
- [Bridging Gulfs in UI Generation through Semantic Guidance](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2601.19171/) (2026)
- [Generative Artificial Intelligence-Guided User Studies: An Application for Air Taxi Services](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2406.12296/) (2024)
- [ArchShapeNet:An Interpretable 3D-CNN Framework for Evaluating Architectural Shapes](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.14832/) (2025)
- ["She was useful, but a bit too optimistic": Augmenting Design with Interactive Virtual Personas](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2508.19463/) (2025)
- [Human-AI Coordination Zones: A Framework for Designing Human-in-the-Loop Experiences with Agentic AI](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.09848/) (2026)
- [From Adoption to Deployment: A Qualitative Study on AI Integration in Software Development Practice](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2607.16660/) (2026)
- [Method, Mind, and Morality: How People Make Sense of Artificial Intelligence](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2608.24748/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Among creative professionals, Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) has sparked excitement over its capabilities and fear over unanticipated consequences. How does GenAI impact User Experience Design (UXD) practice, and are fears warranted? We interviewed 20 UX Designers, with diverse experience and across companies (startups to large enterprises). We probed them to characterize their practices, and sample their attitudes, concerns, and expectations. We found that experienced designers are confident in their originality, creativity, and empathic skills, and find GenAI's role as assistive. They emphasized the unique human factors of "enjoyment" and "agency", where humans remain the arbiters of "AI alignment". However, skill degradation, job replacement, and creativity exhaustion can adversely impact junior designers. We discuss implications for human-GenAI collaboration, specifically copyright and ownership, human creativity and agency, and AI literacy and access. Through the lens of responsible and participatory AI, we contribute a deeper understanding of GenAI fears and opportunities for UXD.