In the era of AI art, what is a designer's future? A Comparative Study of the Perception of AI Art among Indian Graphic Design Students and Graphic Design Professionals

Abstract: This paper explores the "phygital" reality where digital and physical realms merge in liminal spaces, blurring boundaries such as those between work and leisure, as well as the ones between constructivist Design Research and automated foresight. Therefore, this paper aims to update the "Phygital" Matrix, a formerly co-designed tool, to project the post-pandemic future of business events, proposing automated foresight-generated scenarios. The authors do so through a novel, automated data collection method, including Large Language Models (LLMs). Therefore, the ambition is to generate new hypotheses on the future of the subject at hand and experiment with new, hybrid modalities of operationalization that depart from Design Research while seeking opportunities for foresight currently existing in state-of-the-art Generative AI, which will be reflexively discussed elsewhere. As part of their findings, the authors present emerging trends in business events design and management in scenarios related to hybrid event formats, from physical to digital, e.g. personalized experiences, and immersive technologies. Several trends and scenarios emerge as pivotal in event design, which might apply to event design and management professionals. Practical Implications: At the practical implementation level, the study pragmatically advises industry stakeholders to adopt these insights for eco-conscious and inclusive strategic planning. Ultimately, while LLMs offer valuable data, human interpretation is crucial, highlighting a need for greater AI-human collaboration in research. Research limitations include the explicit choice to work with Generative AI only, hence excluding any direct human input besides the “Trained Judgement” of the authors. In conclusion, this paper offers novel future findings to business events professionals and methodological findings to scholars and consultants in foresight and future research. The next steps in this line of research might pertain to the validation of AI-generated scenarios and the process.