When Discourse Stalls: Moving Past Five Semantic Stopsigns about Generative AI in Design Research

It has been roughly three years since the open-source release of Stable Diffusion ignited a Generative AI (GenAI) boom [Bengesi et al., 2023]. The proliferation of these technologies has since reshaped design practice and research. From early ideation to final implementation, these developments have significantly altered how design work is conceived, conducted, and evaluated [Hou et al., 2024]. This essay examines the critical juncture at which the design research community finds itself, seeking to understand and shape these developments while grappling with their implications for creative practice, design education, and professional identities. Popular discourse around GenAI often centers on simplified unequivocal narratives: AI as a threat to humanity, as a solution to global challenges, as a force of disruption, or as a replacement for humans [Gilardi et al., 2024]. While these narratives have sparked debate and interest, they can function as "semantic stopsigns"--conceptual framings that oversimplify complex issues, providing an illusion of resolution that hinders deeper inquiry [LessWrong Community, n.d., Lifton, 1961]. For instance, claims like "AI is unreliable" can lead to outright dismissal of its potential,