Reimagining Art and Design Education: An AI-Enhanced Interdisciplinary Project-Based Pedagogical Framework

This study investigates the paradigm shift in interdisciplinary art and design education driven by artificial intelligence (AI) advancements, proposing an "AI-Interdisciplinary-Project" pedagogical model validated through the empirical case of Guyi Garden cultural product design. By integrating generative AI technologies (e.g., Stable Diffusion), a STEAM-E (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics, and Ethics) knowledge framework, and agile project-based learning, we establish a dynamic pedagogical cycle comprising three innovation layers: AI-accelerated cultural symbol extraction (40% efficiency gain), human-AI co-creation workflows (reduced design iteration cycle to 5.3 days/prototype), and ethically constrained social validation (82.4 user satisfaction score). Empirical results demonstrate significant educational outcomes, with a 27% enhancement in students' interdisciplinary collaboration competence and the development of 8 commercially viable product prototypes, while effectively bridging traditional architectural motifs with contemporary design paradigms. The research further articulates a "techno-humanistic equilibrium" framework supported by an open-source toolchain ecosystem, providing replicable strategies for AI-era design education innovation. Its applicability extends to rural intangible cultural heritage revitalization and inclusive product development, catalyzing synergistic evolution among educational, industrial, and cultural ecosystems through techno-cultural hybridization.