Cooling the future: integrating design thinking and artificial intelligence to foster soft skills and energy education

Purpose – This case study explores the integration of Design Thinking (DT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education to develop students' soft skills while addressing a real and complex sustainability challenge. The “Cooling the Future” educational experience, implemented at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana Cali, in Colombia, aimed to enhance students' problem-solving abilities, teamwork, and creativity through experiential learning focused on optimizing air conditioning (AC) energy consumption on campus by promoting a culture of rational energy use. Design/methodology/approach – Students from 14 undergraduate academic programs, ranging from first to last year, participated in this interdisciplinary initiative. Within this case study, DT and AI were employed as pedagogical approaches to foster critical thinking, interdisciplinary collaboration, and user-centered innovation. By engaging in a structured, hands-on learning process, students analyzed real-world energy consumption issues and proposed innovative solutions. Findings – The results highlight how experiential learning enhances students' adaptability, decision-making, and problem-solving skills. The use of DT combined with generative AI fostered a creative and stimulating, yet challenging, learning framework. The empathy component became the central axis of the solution proposals addressing the high energy consumption associated with AC. Through this initiative, participants gained environmental awareness and social responsibility, and five innovative solutions were proposed, integrating technological, behavioral, and resource management strategies. Originality/value – This case study bridges education and sustainability by demonstrating how DT and AI can be combined to address environmental challenges while fostering essential soft skills. Unlike previous research that explores these methodologies separately, this work provides evidence of their joint impact in higher education. The results emphasize the potential of integrating pedagogical strategies with technological and behavioral interventions to create a sustainable and skill-enhancing educational framework.