Designing Reflective Creativity with Human-AI

Creativity and Friction: Designing for Reflective Creative Practices in Human-AI Interactions (2026)

What you get

• For 3.5 years, you will receive a tax-free stipend at a standard rate of £21,805 per year and your fees will be waived (at the UK or International rate). In addition, to a one-off Research and Training Support Grant of £2,000.

Type of award

Postgraduate Research

PhD project

A common narrative around AI and creativity is the idea that people can create art within seconds, reinforcing a framing of AI for production, shifting the focus of artistic practice toward output and profit. Driving this narrative is the pursuit of seamlessness and immediacy, which has long shaped how technology companies design their tools [1]; however, creative practice benefits from friction, indirection and ambiguity [2].

In this project, we seek to explore how friction can be deliberately introduced into AI creativity support tools in ways that support the creative process. The project will build upon a growing body of critical thinking around alternative approaches to AI, including feminist AI [3], small data [4], and slow technology [5] as frameworks for moving beyond fast-paced ideologies towards more reflective practices.

We are interested in exploring questions around:

-          What are the dynamics of artistic practices that support reflection, prioritising intention over production?

-          What role do concepts like friction, indirection, and ambiguity play in supporting reflective creative practice, and how can these be operationalised in interactive systems?

-          How might a slower, more considered pace of working with AI for creative purposes be translated into design principles for creativity support tools?

References:

[1] J. Kemper & S. Jankowski. (2024). Silicon Valley’s Frictionless Future: The Design Philosophy of Frictionlessness. The De Gruyter Handbookof Automated Futures: Imaginaries, Interactions and Impact 2 (2024), 287.

[2] T. McNamara, J. McCormack, & M.T. Llano. (2025). Mixer Metaphors: audio interfaces for non-musical applications. In Proceedings of The International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression (NIME’25).

[3] J. Browne, S. Cave, E. Drage, & K. McInerney. (2023). Feminist AI : critical perspectives on data, algorithms and intelligent machines. Oxford University Press. 

[4] N. Bryan-Kinns, A. Wszeborowska, O. Sutskova, E. Wilson, P. Perry, R. Fiebrink, G. Vigliensoni, R. Lindell, A. Coronel, & N. N. Correia. (2025). Leveraging small datasets for ethical and responsible AI music making. In Proceedings of the 20th International Audio Mostly Conference (AM '25). ACM.

[5] W. Odom, E. Stolterman, & A. Y. S. Chen. (2021). Extending a Theory of Slow Technology for Design through Artifact Analysis. In Human–Computer Interaction, 37(2), 150–179.

Eligibility

This studentship is available to UK and Overseas applicants.

Eligible candidates will normally have an upper second-class (2:1) undergraduate honours degree (or equivalent qualification) in a related field.

The University of Sussex believes that the diversity of its staff and student community is fundamental to creative thinking, pedagogic innovation, intellectual challenge, and the interdisciplinary approach to research and learning. We celebrate and promote diversity, equality and inclusion amongst our staff and students. As such, we welcome applicants from all backgrounds.

Number of scholarships available

1

Deadline

How to apply

Apply online for a full time PhD in Informatics [Starting in September 2026] using our step-by-step guide.

Please ensure you application includes each of the following:

• A research proposal.
• Your CV.
• Degree certificates and transcripts.
• 2 references, including a minimum of 1 from any institution studied at within the last 5 years.
• If your first language is not English you will need to demonstrate that you meet the University’s English language requirements.

Please clearly state on your application that you are applying for the Creativity and Friction: Designing for Reflective Creative Practices in Human-AI Interactions under the supervision of Associate Prof. Maria Teresa Llano.

Contact us

If you have practical questions about the progress of your on-line application or your eligibility, contact FoSEM-PGR@sussex.ac.uk

For academic questions please contact Teresa.Llano@sussex.ac.uk

Timetable

Application Deadline: 01 June 2026

Interview Date: Mid June 2026

Entry Date: September 2026