Co-creating with Generative AI (GenAI) for curriculum design: learning personas

Generative AI (GenAI) presents new opportunities for learner-centred teaching. This study explores its potential in co-creating learning personas—fictional yet research-informed representations of students – for energy digitalisation education, a field that attracts learners from diverse backgrounds. We document the process of generating nine learner personas with GenAI and evaluating their quality through expert review and benchmarking against publicly available LinkedIn profiles of professionals in similar roles. Our findings indicate that GenAI effectively differentiates professional roles, captures key job-related challenges, and reflects learner motivations, making it a valuable tool for curriculum design. However, critical limitations persist, with GenAI creating overly idealised professionals, lacking diversity in the supporting AI-generated images, and overlooking some nuanced real-world complexities. These challenges highlight the need for human oversight to ensure authenticity, inclusivity, and ethical depth. Based on our findings, we provide recommendations for co-creating personas with GenAI for curriculum design.