87: Learning To See With Machines: Aesthetic Imagination and Ai In Architectural Education

This study investigates the integration of artificial intelligence in architectural education through two workshop editions using ComfyUI, a node-based interface for Stable Diffusion. Conducted in the second semester of 2024 and the first semester of 2025, the workshops engaged architecture students in generating images from textual prompts and critically reflecting on the outcomes. Combining hands-on experimentation with structured feedback, the study explores how AI-generated imagery influences students’ design thinking, visual literacy, and understanding of authorship. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected through questionnaires and discussions, revealing high engagement, creativity stimulation, and a rapid learning curve—despite technical and conceptual challenges. By comparing both cohorts, the research identifies a pedagogical evolution from initial excitement toward more critical and contextualized uses of AI tools. The paper contributes to the discourse on design education by proposing a framework for incorporating generative AI into curricula, emphasizing reflective use, aesthetic exploration, and the development of new representational literacies.