Prompting play: AI-generated design through the eyes of a child

Abstract

This paper investigates the role of generative AI as a co-creative design partner with children (aged 9-12) to envision child-centric school streets. Drawing on future studies that highlight how diverse ways of imagining shape human perception, we examine how AI-mediated speculation reshapes co-design & participatory design processes. Through a structured workshop titled “Imagine Your Future Signage around schools” at an international school in New Delhi, India, children generated prompts and images using multiple generative AI tools (ChatGPT, MidJourney, Stable Diffusion, Gemini, and DALL·E). Their visual outputs, combined with verbal insights from questionnaires and interviews, informed design features, ideas, and recommendations for child-friendly urban environments. By situating children as “young designers,” we highlight how generative AI extends their expressive capacity, translating abstract ideas into tangible visual cues. We further discuss how AI alters the balance among imagination, the multiplicity of perspectives, and efficiency in speculative design. Ultimately, this study contributes to child-centered design methodologies by demonstrating that generative AI is not only a representational tool but also a collaborator that enables children to learn, adapt, and co-create within speculative futures, thereby demonstrating the potential of emerging technologies to reshape co-design as more inclusive, reflective, and imaginative.