The purpose of this study is to explore the potential of using artificial intelligence (AI) in furniture design education. Previous research has shown that text-based generative AI can support idea generation, and some studies suggest that AI should be considered as a co-creator rather than just a tool. However, there is a lack of research specifically on incorporating image-based AI into furniture design education. The study was held in June 2022 as an online workshop with 15 industrial design students. The workshop used a
Generative Adversarial Network developed by Philipp Schmitt and Steffen Weiss who graciously shared their materials of AI-generated abstract images to serve as an inspiration for students to develop their initial designs. The students were divided into teams and interior prompts were given to further generate keywords that guided their selection of relevant AI images. Students were also instructed to engage in a "Quick & Dirty Sketch Session" to be creative and unrestricted in their process. Nine participants completed a post-workshop survey, aiming to gather information on the workshop experience, the methods and tools used, as well as the participants' satisfaction level and overall effectiveness of using the AI tool in the idea generation process. The paper presents the results of the study and discusses several key topics in AI and designer collaboration, including the re-definition of idea sketching, the significance of providing a transparent design process when collaborating with AI, and the ethical considerations associated with the utilization of AI in design fields.