How universities should talk to art & design students about AI
We need to engage art and design students about AI earlier.
According to Pathways’ "What Shapes Student Choices" report, those considering art and design careers are among the most worried (53%) that AI will replace their jobs.
But that kind of thinking is shutting them off from abundance.
An academic recently shared with me that he invited a local creative agency to speak with graphic design students.
AI had transformed the agency’s business:
They were able to deliver more work
Had created more stable revenue streams
Wanted to teach others how to do the same
But students weren’t impressed.
Overwhelmingly, they felt the approach “lacked graft”, creativity and “soul.”
This isn’t an uncommon response in creative institutions, but it’s an information gap we must address.
Creativity is a craft and commercial trade.
And unless you’re an artisan, the majority of clients who commission your creative work only care about one thing:
The outcome.
The effort you put in is not connected to the value you create.
If you have creative subjects in your portfolio, don’t wait until the classroom to address AI anxieties.
Ask yourself:
How are your prospective student comms acknowledging students’ AI worries?
What are you doing to frame AI as a means of driving transformational outcomes for students?
How are those outcomes different from your competitors?
Get that right and you meet with little resistance.
