Abstract:AIGC technology shows great potential in the field of cultural creative design. This article explores the application of AIGC in the design of cultural creative products, elaborating on its value in enhancing efficiency, expanding creativity, and promoting personalized design. It analyzes the application of AIGC in creative generation, design optimization, and cross-cultural integration, showcasing various possibilities for intelligent assistance to designers. Through the cases of “Tancheng Cultural Creative Design” and “Sun God Bird Mask Series,” it presents the practical application of AIGC in cultural symbol extraction, visual element generation, and product creative design. The article also discusses the challenges faced by AIGC applications, such as the depth of cultural understanding, protection of creative originality, and ethical issues, and proposes corresponding strategies. Through interdisciplinary collaboration, improved intellectual property protection, and adherence to ethical standards, AIGC is expected to become a positive force in inheriting and promoting human civilization, driving the sustainable development of cultural creativity.
Keywords:AIGC; Cultural Creative Design; Artificial Intelligence; Cultural Heritage; Innovative Design
1. Overview of AIGC Technology: Development History and Core Principles
Artificial Intelligence Generated Content (AIGC) technology is an important breakthrough in the field of artificial intelligence in recent years. It enables computers to autonomously generate creative content that is close to human cognition based on massive data and knowledge bases through deep learning algorithms. AIGC shows broad application prospects in various fields such as image generation, intelligent writing, and virtual assistants. Introducing AIGC technology into cultural creative design undoubtedly injects new vitality into traditional design.
The origin of AIGC can be traced back to Turing’s vision of intelligent machines, passing through the stages of expert systems and machine learning. The breakthrough of deep learning theory in 2006 was an important milestone. The introduction of GAN in 2014 injected strong momentum into AIGC. In 2017, the Transformer architecture revolutionized natural language processing. In 2020, GPT-3 demonstrated the potential of large-scale language models. The launch of ChatGPT at the end of 2022 triggered a global AI boom. In 2023, GPT-4 enhanced multimodal AI capabilities, and open-source large language models like LLaMA promoted the popularity of AIGC. At the beginning of 2024, AI achieved breakthrough progress in multiple fields, while also sparking in-depth discussions on AI safety and ethics.
In the design industry, the application of AIGC, especially AI image technology, has also experienced rapid development. The emergence of GAN in 2014 provided designers with innovative tools. In 2017, models like pix2pix achieved intelligent image transformation. In 2018, StyleGAN made breakthroughs in generating realistic human faces. In 2021, DALL-E demonstrated the ability to generate images based on text. In 2022, Midjourney and Stable Diffusion brought AI image generation tools to the public. In 2023, models like ControlNet improved the controllability of AI creation, and Adobe integrated Firefly AI into design software, marking AI as a mainstream design tool. At the beginning of 2024, real-time AI image generation technology opened new avenues for interactive design and game design. AIGC is reshaping design processes and industry ecology, evolving from an auxiliary tool to a creative partner for designers.
The core principle of AIGC lies in building deep learning models with hundreds of millions or even billions of parameters, training them with massive data to master knowledge, rules, and aesthetics in specific fields, and then autonomously generating corresponding content based on input instructions or context.
The value of AIGC technology is reflected in three aspects. First, it can significantly enhance design efficiency, freeing designers from tedious foundational work and allowing them to invest more energy in creative planning and scheme optimization. Second, AIGC can break the shackles of inherent human thinking patterns, stimulating more diverse and novel creative sparks through random combinations and cross-domain migrations, effectively expanding the boundaries of design. Third, AIGC can rapidly generate personalized design plans based on different user characteristics and needs, promoting the differentiated and precise development of cultural creative products.
2. Exploring the Application of AIGC in Cultural Creative Product Design
As AIGC technology continues to develop and mature, its application in cultural creative product design is becoming increasingly in-depth. From the early stages of creative divergence to the later stages of rendering presentation, from conceptual design to detail optimization, AIGC permeates almost every aspect of the design process. Designers collaborate with AI to form a “human-machine collaboration” creative model, sparking unprecedented creative inspiration and productivity.
(1) AI-Assisted Ideation in the Creative Generation StageThe starting point of cultural creative product design is the ideation process, and AIGC technology can serve as a powerful assistant for designers’ brainstorming. Designers only need to input keywords such as the cultural theme of the product, design style, and usage scenarios, and the AIGC model can automatically generate dozens or even hundreds of preliminary creative proposals based on its vast materials and aesthetic rules, covering multiple dimensions such as hand-drawn sketches, color matching, and form design. Although these AI-generated conceptual sketches may not be perfect, they can provide designers with more ideas and inspiration, helping them quickly complete creative divergence and shorten brainstorming cycles.
It is worth mentioning that AIGC demonstrates unique advantages in creative generation through cross-domain integration. For example, when we input keywords like “Dunhuang Feitian + Weaver Girl + Anime Style”, the AIGC model can cleverly combine aesthetic elements from different fields to generate imaginative creative images. This random combination and cross-boundary collision are precisely what human thinking finds difficult to achieve, yet they can spark unexpected creative sparks. Designers can then select and optimize the content generated by AI, maximizing the expansion of creative territory.
(2) AI Intelligent Iteration in the Design Optimization StageAfter the creative ideas take shape, design optimization and scheme iteration are indispensable stages in cultural creative product design. In traditional design processes, designers need to spend a lot of time manually creating product renderings and adjusting design details, making it difficult to improve efficiency. With AIGC technology, designers can achieve rapid iteration and intelligent optimization of design schemes.
Specifically, designers input the previously determined creative schemes into the AIGC model and provide optimization suggestions, such as “enhancing the technological feel of the product” or “highlighting traditional cultural connotations”. The AIGC model will automatically fine-tune the original design based on feedback, flexibly adjusting details such as material texture, color matching, and form design. For example, the model can change the product’s material from wood to metal to enhance its technological feel, or incorporate more traditional cultural symbols into the pattern design to highlight cultural connotations. Such intelligent and targeted optimization can significantly enhance design efficiency and shorten the cycle of repeated modifications.
At the same time, AIGC can also simulate different lighting conditions and usage scenarios, automatically generating high-fidelity product renderings to help designers intuitively evaluate design effects and identify problems in a timely manner. Designers can then repeatedly adjust and refine details based on the renderings, enabling them to complete in-depth optimization of design schemes within a shorter timeframe, accelerating the product launch process.
(3) AI Empowerment in Cultural Integration InnovationThe soul of cultural creative products lies in the in-depth excavation and innovative expression of cultural connotations, and AIGC technology can inject new vitality into this process. Currently, AIGC models can deeply learn cultural symbols and aesthetic characteristics from different regions and ethnicities, autonomously generating creative designs that integrate cross-cultural elements through random combinations and transfer learning techniques.
For example, if a designer wishes to develop a cultural creative product that integrates elements from both Chinese and Western cultures, in traditional design, the designer would need to manually collect and organize typical symbols from different cultures and devise a fusion innovation design scheme, which is quite challenging. With AIGC technology, designers only need to input “Chinese Ink + European Baroque Style” or similar simple descriptions, and the AIGC model can automatically extract typical elements from the vast array of Chinese and Western art works it has learned, generating dozens of creative images that fuse cross-cultural elements. These images may cleverly combine ink landscapes with Baroque patterns or juxtapose expressive peonies with realistic angel sculptures, creating refreshing creative combinations.
The value of AIGC in cultural integration innovation is also reflected in the intelligent extraction of cultural symbols. Taking Dunhuang Murals as an example, manually extracting typical elements such as Feitian, Musicians, and Baoxianghua requires a significant amount of time. However, the AIGC model can automatically analyze the composition of the murals, quickly extract key elements, and combine them with contemporary design aesthetics to automatically generate a series of culturally rich and innovative cultural creative designs.
Of course, the understanding and innovative integration of culture by AIGC still cannot reach the depth of cultural scholars. This requires designers to have a deep understanding of the historical origins and internal logic of different cultures when applying AIGC for cross-cultural design, clarifying the boundaries of cultural element usage, and achieving innovative expression while respecting culture. The cultural core of design still needs to be grasped by humans.
In summary, the exploration of AIGC technology in the creative generation, scheme optimization, and cross-domain integration of cultural creative product design makes human-machine collaboration a new paradigm for design innovation. With the intelligent assistance of AIGC, designers can greatly enhance the efficiency of creative ideation and scheme iteration, sparking new creative sparks in the fusion of traditional culture and modern aesthetics. In the future, as AIGC’s understanding of human cognition and cultural connotations continues to improve, its application scenarios in cultural creative design will become richer, helping designers utilize technology to promote traditional culture and write the era’s magnificent chapter with creative pens.
3. Case Analysis of AIGC Cultural Creative Product Design
Beyond theoretical discussions, this article will further analyze specific cases such as “Tancheng Cultural Creative” and “Sun God Bird Mask Series” from the perspectives of cultural connotation extraction, creative element generation, and scenario application, examining the application paths and practical insights of AIGC technology in actual cultural creative product design.
(1) Tancheng Cultural Creative DesignTancheng is an important component of ancient architecture, containing rich religious cultural connotations. The primary step in AIGC-assisted Tancheng cultural creative design is to deeply analyze the historical background, structural characteristics, aesthetic style, and symbolic significance of Tancheng to form a systematic cultural semantic database. Based on this, designers input keywords such as “architectural details + fantasy elements + cartoon style,” and the AIGC model can automatically generate dozens of conceptual images that present creative solutions integrating Tancheng structure with contemporary aesthetics, inspiring design ideas.
As the creative ideas gradually take shape, AIGC can assist in refining and optimizing the appearance of the scheme. Designers input the conceptual sketches into the model and mark the details that need adjustment, such as “enhancing the sci-fi feel” or “increasing interactivity.” AIGC analyzes the suggestions and makes targeted optimizations to the scheme, such as generating mechanical textures on the surface of Tancheng to enhance the sci-fi feel or hiding buttons in certain structural designs to improve interactivity. Designers then review and fine-tune the AI-optimized schemes, quickly completing the conceptual design.
AIGC can also assist designers in quickly attempting various application scenarios. For example, applying the optimized Tancheng creative design to desktop ornaments, cultural derivatives, etc., AIGC can automatically generate corresponding product renderings, helping designers intuitively evaluate product positioning and market response.
(2) Creation of the Sun God Bird Mask SeriesThe Sun God Bird is an important figure in Chinese mythology, and designing the Sun God Bird mask series requires an in-depth understanding of its morphological characteristics and cultural connotations. First, designers collect various image materials of the Sun God Bird, such as bronze vessels, stone carvings, and paintings, and extract key visual elements such as auspicious cloud patterns, flame patterns, and the form of the divine bird to input into the AIGC model for learning.
In the creative generation stage, designers provide AIGC with inputs like “Sun God Bird + different regional styles + mask shapes,” and the model can automatically generate creative concepts that integrate different cultural elements, such as a Dunhuang-style Sun God Bird mask or an African totem-style Sun God Bird mask, broadening design ideas. Designers select the most promising directions from numerous creative proposals and repeatedly collaborate with AIGC to optimize details, pursuing exquisite design in the divine bird’s shape, line texture, and color matching.
Once the product scheme is basically finalized, the design team inputs a series of application scenario keywords into AIGC, such as museum cultural products, cosplay props, and children’s theater performances. The model can quickly generate corresponding product visualizations for different usage contexts, helping assess the design’s applicability and audience acceptance. For example, for children’s theater scenes, AIGC can generate more cartoonish, exaggerated, and colorful mask designs, highlighting playfulness.
(3) Case InsightsThrough the design case analyses of Tancheng Cultural Creative and the Sun God Bird Mask series, the value of AIGC technology in cultural creative product design is evident. Firstly, AIGC injects new inspiration into cultural design by deeply understanding cultural IP and extracting elements, helping designers break out of fixed thinking patterns and interpret traditional culture from fresh perspectives. Secondly, AIGC can act as an intelligent assistant for designers, providing instant feedback in creative divergence, scheme optimization, and scenario simulation, making the design process more efficient and flexible. Thirdly, AIGC excels at integrating cross-cultural elements, keenly capturing changes in contemporary aesthetics and guiding cultural creative products to keep pace with trends while inheriting tradition.
It should be noted that AIGC’s role in cultural design is that of a “collaborator” rather than a “substitute.” On one hand, AIGC still struggles to reach the depth of cultural understanding and artistic taste that human designers possess; on the other hand, many key design decisions, such as positioning and scheme selection, still require designer involvement. AIGC’s advantage lies in “clearing obstacles” and “opening up possibilities” for designers, but the quality of design and cultural connotation are still determined by the designers’ cultural accumulation and creative drive. In the future, how to achieve the best match between AIGC’s capabilities and human creative thinking will be a long-term exploration topic in the field of cultural creative design.
4. Challenges and Responses of AIGC in Cultural Design
Although AIGC brings revolutionary changes to cultural creative design, the technology itself is still developing and faces several urgent challenges that need to be addressed.
(1) Enhancing the Cultural Understanding Depth of AIGC-Generated ContentCulture is a highly complex and rich composite, and different cultural circles have vastly different interpretations of art, beliefs, and lifestyles. For AIGC to play a greater role in cultural design, it must enhance its depth of understanding of different cultures, truly grasping the historical origins and emotional attachments behind cultural symbols. This requires accelerating the application of methods such as knowledge graphs in the cultural domain to help AIGC learn the diversity of human civilization in a more systematic and detailed manner. Additionally, it is necessary to strengthen the cross-disciplinary integration of AIGC models with cultural studies, anthropology, aesthetics, and other humanities and social sciences, supplementing and optimizing AIGC’s learning paths with humanistic perspectives. Only in this way can the content generated by AIGC achieve a balance between highbrow and popular culture, and between ancient and modern.
(2) Establishing Copyright Protection Mechanisms for AIGC CreativityAs the number of works created with AIGC increases, issues of rights determination and protection have become significant challenges. The creativity generated by AIGC is difficult to judge by traditional standards of “originality,” leading to potential disputes. Additionally, the vast quantity and rapid dissemination of AIGC-generated works complicate copyright regulation. To address this, collaboration across academia, industry, and research is needed to accelerate the legislative process for intellectual property rights related to innovative results, explore the copyright attribution mechanisms for AIGC-generated works, and facilitate channels for rights protection. Furthermore, it is essential to enhance the copyright awareness of AIGC practitioners and promote the formation of industry consensus on respecting others’ intellectual property rights and protecting one’s creative interests. Only through a dual approach of institutional and conceptual measures can a favorable ecological environment for the development of AIGC-driven cultural industries be created.
(3) Upholding Ethical Standards in AIGC ApplicationsThe powerful capabilities of AIGC also bring about certain ethical risks that require ongoing attention. AIGC may amplify existing cultural biases among humans, generating negative stereotypes and discriminatory remarks towards certain groups. If AIGC is misused or abused, it could also produce false information and infringe on personal privacy. Therefore, practitioners must strengthen ethical education in AIGC, enhancing cultural inclusiveness in AIGC research and applications. Continuous improvement of regulatory mechanisms for AIGC applications is necessary to promptly identify and curb unethical or socially disruptive behaviors. AIGC platforms should also establish content review mechanisms to avoid the dissemination of problematic content. In summary, the innovative application of AIGC must adhere to ethical standards, promote benevolence through technology, and facilitate the exchange and mutual learning of diverse civilizations rather than create cultural barriers.
5. Conclusion: AIGC Empowers Cultural Innovation, Forging New Heights of Civilization
Overall, the application prospects of AIGC technology in cultural creative product design are encouraging, as it endows cultural creativity with intelligent engines and new connotations of cross-domain integration, providing important opportunities for the innovative expression and industrial transformation of cultural IP. However, AIGC’s grasp of cultural connotations still needs improvement, and its role in creative generation is more of an “inspiration catalyst” rather than a “creative主体.”In the future, as the capabilities of perceptual intelligence, knowledge computation, and ethical constraints improve, AIGC will participate in various aspects of cultural creative design on a broader and deeper level.
From a broader perspective, the significance of the integration of AIGC and cultural creativity lies not only in enhancing the productivity of cultural products but also in reshaping the ways humans express, inherit, and innovate culture. AIGC allows cultural symbols to engage in dialogues across time and space, reassembling new cultural connotations, and enhancing the continuity and richness of cultural production. At the same time, AIGC offers new technological possibilities for the cross-media presentation and full-scene application of cultural IP, enabling cultural values to reach a wider audience and enhancing the power and influence of civilization dissemination.
Of course, the innovative expression of culture has never been the exclusive domain of technology; it is driven by the spiritual pursuits and value guidance of generations of cultural creators. AIGC provides richer forms of expression and more advanced creative tools, but it is the human agency that shapes the cultural core and leads cultural confidence. Only through human-machine collaboration and complementary advantages can cultural innovation be achieved on the basis of inheritance and mutual learning in exchanges.
Looking ahead, AIGC is expected to merge with more traditional cultural IP and modern technological elements, building bridges for mutual understanding between Chinese and foreign civilizations while promoting local cultural confidence. We look forward to the collaboration between AIGC and the cultural creative industry, illuminating new heights of human cultural creation with the light of wisdom, and composing a magnificent new chapter of human civilization through the collision and integration of diverse civilizations.
About GMAKE Visual Research Institute
GMAKE Visual Research Institute is a research-oriented institution focused on the application of AIGC in the industry, dedicated to exploring the commercialization of AIGC in areas such as textile printing and digital creativity. In the education sector, GMAKE Visual Research Institute explores the integration of AIGC technology into the teaching process, carrying out exchanges and cooperation between industry and academia, partnering with universities and enterprises to jointly promote the industrialization and implementation of AIGC.
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