“I don’t want to engineer prompts, I want to engineer products”: 3D CAD Designers’ Views on Futuristic GenAI Concepts

Abstract

Despite skepticism surrounding the integration of Generative AI (GenAI) into creative domains, its potential to transform Computer-Aided Design (CAD) workflows remains largely underexplored. In this study, we investigate how professional 3D CAD designers envision and evaluate GenAI-supported design processes. Using a “design concepts” approach, we produced videos that illustrated futuristic GenAI capabilities, ranging from modifying existing models to generating intricate models from text prompts. Our mixed-methods study, involving an international survey of 106 CAD designers and interviews with eight participants, reveals a surprising openness to adopting GenAI. Contrary to common narratives of creative resistance, participants prioritized efficiency gains and sought AI features that support functionality and creativity. Moreover, we found that no single metaphor fully captures GenAI’s role in CAD: participants alternately positioned it as tool, creative partner, and skilled mentor. This framing advances HCI theory on human-AI collaboration and has implications for designing future GenAI systems for CAD workflows.