The study concludes that AIGC should function as a design-supporting technology rather than a replacement for human creativity in order to achieve coordinated development between cultural value and design innovation.
Abstract
Intangible cultural heritage (ICH) carries rich historical memories, regional cultural characteristics, and accumulated craftsmanship knowledge. However, current ICH digitalization practices mainly focus on preservation and dissemination, while the transformation of digital cultural resources into contemporary design applications remains insufficiently explored. This research gap limits the potential of ICH resources to achieve coordinated development between cultural value and design innovation.This study investigates AIGC-driven digital design for ICH-based cultural and creative products by integrating cultural semiotics theory with an AIGC-assisted design methodology. A four-stage design framework consisting of “resource digitalization–cultural interpretation–intelligent generation–application transformation” is developed to analyze how generative artificial intelligence participates in ICH design processes. Three categories of ICH practices, including printing-related, dyeing-related, and engraving-related traditions (collectively referred to as the “Three Printing Categories”), are selected as case studies to explore the applications of AIGC in traditional pattern extraction, visual innovation, and product design generation. The findings indicate that AIGC demonstrates strong capabilities in generating visually innovative design solutions and expanding creative possibilities. However, limitations remain in its ability to accurately interpret the deeper cultural meanings, historical contexts, and symbolic values embedded within intangible cultural heritage. The study concludes that AIGC should function as a design-supporting technology rather than a replacement for human creativity.
Against the backdrop of cultural digitalization and the rapid development of intelligent information technologies, the activation and sustainable inheritance of design-oriented intangible cultural heritage (ICH) face challenges including inheritance discontinuity, insufficient innovation, and limited market adaptability. Traditional craftsmanship elements, particularly those embedded in textile-related cultural heritage, contain rich aesthetic and technical knowledge that requires systematic digital reconstruction for contemporary applications. Leveraging the capabilities of artificial intelligence in pattern recognition, data mining, intelligent generation, and information processing, this study constructs a four-dimensional analytical framework integrating “AI technology–element reconstruction–design transformation –dynamic inheritance”. The framework systematically investigates the internal mechanism of AI-driven activation of traditional craftsmanship elements and proposes a four-stage activation model involving element deconstruction, intelligent reconstruction, design transformation, and market validation. Through the digital extraction and intelligent reorganization of traditional weaving, dyeing, embroidery, and related craft elements, the proposed approach enhances design efficiency, cultural fidelity, and market adaptability. The study provides a practical pathway for the intelligent preservation and innovative transformation of traditional craftsmanship and offers methodological references for digital cultural communication and intelligent design systems.
The rapid development of generative AI technology offers new opportunities for the traditional cultural and creative industry to break through homogenization. The Wooden Pagoda in Ying County, Shanxi Province, is the tallest and oldest existing wooden-structured pagoda in China, boasting extremely high cultural value. However, the corresponding cultural and creative designs for it are plagued by such problems as superficial cultural transformation, insufficient personalization and weak interactive experience. Taking the design of cultural and creative products for the Ying County Wooden Pagoda as a case study, this research constructs an AI-driven design framework for cultural and creative products, provides effective application paths, and improves the collaborative efficiency between designers and AI. Combining the AI design logic with the theories of cultural and creative design, and integrating AI generation into the general design process of cultural and creative products, this research builds a four-stage framework of "intelligent extraction of cultural elements - dynamic mapping of user demands - generation of emotional design schemes - human-machine collaborative optimization". Under the guidance of this framework, the cultural and creative products of the Ying County Wooden Pagoda designed in this research have won high praise from experts and users, which verifies the effectiveness of the framework.
Hao Ren, Lei Zhong· AHFE International· 0 citations
While Artificial Intelligence Generated Content (AIGC) provides new pathways for the digital innovation of intangible cultural heritage (ICH), current applications often lack a critical methodological framework and view users as passive consumers. To address this gap, this study centers on a key research question: compared with the traditional model where users only passively receive or give feedback on ICH cultural and creative products, how can the human-AI co-creation model empower ordinary users without professional design skills to take the initiative in creating and reinterpreting ICH? The paper focuses on the Yunnan Tile-Cat (Wamao), a unique regional architectural ornament and an endangered intangible cultural heritage, and builds a simple working demo to show how the idea works. Through a formative evaluation, the study examines a dual collaborative workflow. The AI + designer phase speeds up cultural data integration and visual conceptualization. Subsequently, the AI + user mechanism enables public participation through real-time 2D to 3D modeling and AR interaction. This collaborative approach productively reduces creative barriers and improves cultural identity. The findings add to design knowledge by showing that, while AI democratizes creative participation, human designers must actively intervene to overcome AI's semiotic limitations in culturally sensitive settings.
Traditional patterns in intangible cultural heritage represent the aesthetic core of textile craftsmanship and serve as visual symbols that embed cultural memory into material form. In engineering-oriented digital heritage applications, their ordered motifs and material textures may also provide structured design references for textile electromagnetic surfaces, antennaintegrated display carriers, and electromagnetic-wave sensing interfaces where cultural meaning and functional patterning must coexist. Taking traditional patterns as the research object, this paper constructs a three-level symbolic deconstruction model of surface form, middle-level implication, and deep-seated culture by applying semiotics, design aesthetics, and cultural communication theory. Through literature research, case analysis, empirical design, and expert evaluation, it systematically explores the symbolic characteristics and deconstruction logic of traditional patterns. On this basis, a four-stage translation method of form extraction, implication reconstruction, function adaptation, and context integration is proposed, with a logic-coupling mechanism between deconstruction and translation. The feasibility of the method is verified through design practices involving interlocking swallowtail patterns, interlocking lotus patterns, and Miao embroidery series patterns. By connecting heritage aesthetics, textile material expression, and contemporary functional design, this study provides theoretical support for the modern translation of intangible cultural heritage elements and a practical reference for culturally informed electromagnetic-wave interactive design.
This study discusses the preservation and transformation of traditional Malay craft heritage through a hybrid approach that integrates traditional craftsmanship practices with digital manufacturing technologies. Grounded in the national Corak Malaysia project, this research develops a Computer-Aided Design (CAD) Innovation Framework to translate the aesthetic values and visual symbolism of the Mutiara Pipit Motif (inspired by the turkey berry flower) and the Motif Lapan (Figure-of-Eight Motif) into contemporary Malay bracelet designs. The research is structured around the Design Science Research (DSR) methodology to address issues of digital authenticity and the loss of narrative value in mass production. Visual analysis was conducted using Charles Sanders Peirce’s Semiotic Theory, examining the relationship between the representamen, object, and interpretant of the physical artifacts fabricated from 925 sterling silver, cubic zirconia stones, and rhodium plating. An expert review was undertaken with the participation of three industry experts representing jewellery design, creative heritage, and the creative industries. The evaluation focused on aesthetic quality, cultural telesis, ergonomic performance, and commercial marketability. The evaluation results indicate high mean scores across all criteria, proving that the integration of the DSR-Semiotic framework not only successfully produces premium, ergonomic, and highly competitive ethnic jewellery but also contributes a replicable methodological blueprint for the preservation of other intangible cultural heritage crafts. The study implications suggest that digital hybridization can positively influence younger generations’ perceptions of heritage crafts, positioning them as relevant and inclusive contemporary jewellery products.
N. S. M. Anuar, M. Z. Daud, Muhammad Ammar Mohd Zamani· International journal of res...· 0 citations
This study addresses persistent challenges in translating intangible cultural heritage into urban regeneration, including barriers to cultural interpretation, limited contemporary design expression, and insufficient public participation. It investigates a design methodology through which artificial intelligence generated content can support the living transmission of intangible cultural heritage. By positioning AIGC as an enabling tool for semantic analysis, creative generation, and stakeholder alignment, the study proposes a “cultural extraction-design translation-place-based activation” framework that integrates heritage element identification, design transformation, and community cocreation. Taking the Shanghai municipal intangible cultural heritage item Hualan Dengwu, or Flower-Basket Lantern Dance, as an empirical case, the research develops design outputs covering public-space installations, commercial brand identity, and micro-landscape interventions. Evaluation results indicate that the proposed framework improves design efficiency, expands the diversity of design alternatives, increases residents’ willingness to participate, and strengthens cultural legibility and place identity. The study provides an operational methodology for the creative transformation and place-based integration of intangible cultural heritage in urban regeneration.
P. Xu, J. Shen, T. T. Zou· Advanced Electromagnetics· 0 citations