Navigating the AI Frontier in Art and Design Education
By Dan China;
Dan is currently working with NSEAD researching issues of design and AI. He has developed a website about AI for art teachers www.artteachingstuff.com
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I recall a wet, winter afternoon in the National gallery, sometime in the 1970s. A slightly bedraggled old lady came into the empty gallery of Dutch painting. She looked about before remarking. “Aren’t they wonderful. They’re all handmade, you know.” I have always remembered her: it seemed such a curiously quaint, innocent and self-evident way of defining art in general, and The Avenue at Middleharnis, by Hobbema, in particular.
The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) demands that we rethink what we thought we knew. Is art always handmade, and what might handmade art mean in a digital age anyway? Is there something called digital craftsmanship?
The rise of AI has sparked alarm across the education sector. Fears of plagiarism and safeguarding have caused educators to man the barricades to protect the integrity of the assessment system and build robust guardrails to safeguard students. As AI tools become increasingly sophisticated, educators and students face a dilemma that questions the role these technologies should play in learning. Should we embrace AI as a vital tool for creativity and innovation or tread cautiously to protect the integrity of our assessment systems?
The Allure of AI
The Allure of AI
Proponents of AI proclaim its transformative potential. Imagine offering students the ability to brainstorm ideas with an AI collaborator that provides endless inspiration. AI tools can analyse art styles, provide historical context, and even suggest novel design elements to challenge a student to think outside the box. For students struggling to break free from convention, AI can be an ally, pushing creative boundaries and encouraging risk-taking.
Moreover, the skills developed through AI engagement mirror those required in modern workplaces. The Department for Education declares that AI can ensure that ‘every child and young person will develop the knowledge and skills they need for life’. Proficiency with AI tools can prepare students for careers where human creativity is enhanced, not replaced, by technological prowess. Incorporating AI into the curriculum will prepare students for a future underpinned by digital fluency.
Artists have been exploring machine learning for decades. Artists such as Anadol Refik, Holly Hernden and Mat Dryhurst create data sets and write AI algorithms to explore the intersection of artificial intelligence, identity and digital culture. They identify, as their medium, the digital algorithms and data sets they create, use and refine to make, or craft, their work. Handmade?
Whatever AI artists are, or will become, it is a mistake to see them merely as cultural tourists with ChatGPT. Just like all other artists, they seek to make sense of our humanity, through creativity and original thought: whether through an algorithm, pigment on canvas, or a urinal placed in an art gallery.
Amber Cox
Amber Cox
The Guardians of Integrity
On the other side of the debate are those who raise concerns over AI's implications for assessment. They fear that reliance on AI could lead to a homogenisation of creativity, where students lean on machines instead of honing their distinct artistic voices. Now that text-to-image AI can contribute imperceptibly to the creative process, traditional assessment practices face significant challenges. How can teachers discern between a student's original input and AI-assisted elements? This grey area poses a critical threat to the validity of grades, potentially obscuring true artistic capability and effort.
Regulations and Consequences.
Regulations and Consequences.
The Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) is the arbiter of examination regulations, including plagiarism, in the AI era. However, the JCQ regulations relating to AI are generic. They protect the integrity of the assessment system across all subjects. In art and design examinations, regulations indicate that, although AI may feature in a student’s research, any images generated by AI will not be seen as evidence of their own personal and independent work and will, therefore, not be awarded any marks. It appears that a student’s art must be ‘handmade’ if it is to provide evidence of a student’s achievement in art and design.
This has significant consequences for students in KS4 and KS5, especially for those who may wish to pursue a career in the creative industries. It likely prohibits them (in school at least) from engaging with those technologies that will underpin their future professional lives, despite the government’s promotion of AI in education.
At the heart of this conundrum, for this is what it is, are two equally important concepts competing for attention, namely plagiarism and art. JCQ is right to define and defend against plagiarism - not so sure it has a right to define art.
Refik Anadol
A Balancing Act
Navigating this tightrope without falling into the extremes of defensiveness or open access is essential. A middle path requires educators to define how AI can be used legitimately while ensuring that students comprehend their ethical responsibilities. Understanding not just how to use AI but also when and why becomes essential in this landscape.
Education systems will need to look beyond conventional assessments to foster innovation without compromising integrity. Instead of focusing solely on final products, educators could design processes that evaluate creativity and the space where ideas can develop and grow as students interact with AI and traditional methods. This approach emphasises conceptual understanding and originality rather than simply the technical, personally-crafted outcomes.
The Knowledge and Skills They Need for Life
The Knowledge and Skills They Need for Life
AI is now out of the box and will continue to weave itself into the tapestry of art and design, so educational paradigms must evolve. This includes the notion of digital craftsmanship (the new handmade). The challenge lies not in choosing whether to adopt AI but in how to do so wisely. By fostering an environment in our schools that values integrity alongside innovation, educators should be able to harness AI's potential while preserving the essence of artistic exploration. The question becomes not "Can students use AI?" but "How can students best use AI to enhance their unique creative journeys?" Balancing the scales between maintaining robust assessment systems and nurturing inventive, adaptable minds foreshadows a future where artists and designers will use AI easily and creatively.
As this discussion continues, art and design educators have an important role, guiding the next generation of creatives through the intricate interplay of technology and creativity. The journey promises to be as fascinating and puzzling as ever: where an innocent remark in an art gallery can still resonate after 50 years.
References: Department for Education, policy paper, Generative artificial intelligence (AI) in education 22 January 2025
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