Rethinking design methods in the age of AI – consequences for practice, education, and research

ABSTRACT: This paper proposes a conceptual framework for integrating design methods into Human–AI Co-Creation, redefining methods as mediating structures between task context, procedural logic and results. Two examples illustrate how AI supports both method execution and method selection under varying autonomy levels. The framework highlights implications for transparency, traceability, responsibility and method education, and offers a structured basis for analysing, teaching and developing method-based design practice in AI-rich environments.