SUTD to build design AI training into all first-year courses from 2026

The Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) announced on January 6, 2026 that all first-year students will receive structured training in design AI from Academic Year 2026. In its media release, the university described itself as the first in the world to incorporate design AI across every first-year course.

The centerpiece is a new course, Innovating with Design and AI (iDeA), which runs through all three terms of the first-year Freshmore program. Students learn to apply AI at each stage of the design process: user research, site analysis, synthesis, ideation, concept development and prototyping. Tools named by the university include ComfyUI and Midjourney for visual and conceptual work, while custom GPT graders give students formative feedback. First-year students are expected to produce high-fidelity computer-aided design files, write working code and carry out cost and strategic analyses.

SUTD said the approach is human-centered: students are taught to judge when AI should serve as a tool, when it can act as a collaborator, and when it should be left out. One student project cited in the release is Verbasense, an AI-enabled mood-detection stand intended to help educators see where learners are struggling. Coverage listed by SUTD the same day also noted that Nanyang Polytechnic will widen credit-bearing learning pathways from its April 2026 intake.