Designing with Hybrid Intelligence. AI integration in participatory practices: impacts on design roles, processes, and business innovation projects

This thesis investigates the role of Artificial Intelligence, particularly Generative AI, in participatory design processes for business innovation. It explores how AI reshapes designers’ roles and supports co-design as both a collaborative actor and a boundary object. Through literature review, surveys, interviews, and field experiments, the research highlights AI-driven opportunities in idea generation, clarity, and inclusivity, alongside critical and systemic issues such as trust and transparency. It proposes a shift toward designers as orchestrators and introduces a Hybrid Intelligence co-design kit with six strategies for effective AI integration.