Artificial Intelligence Tools in Interior Design Education

Advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) tools have transformed the ways educators teach and students learn interior design. AI tools have revolutionized the teaching and learning landscape in interior design, impacting how pedagogies are implemented. This study employs a descriptive qualitative approach using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and constructivist learning theory to examine the perception, classification, and interaction of students in the interior design program with AI tools at the University of Petra (Jordan) across three academic levels (second, third, and fourth year). Employing a mixed-methods approach that combines a structured survey (n = 40) with thematically analyzed open-ended responses, the study categorizes AI tools according to their functional purpose, complexity, and accessibility, and investigates the perceived impacts on creativity, efficiency, and ethical awareness. Results indicate that the use of AI is widespread but largely informal, that high-cost barriers limit its use, and that there are substantial differences in AI use across academic levels, which is explainable based on TAM constructs of perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use (PEOU). Discrepancies between prompt and output, over reliance, and lack of formal training were identified as challenges from the qualitative themes. The results add to a limited body of literature on the region and have real-world applications for curriculum design with AI, access policy, and ethics education in design programs.