With a year of working behind the scenes to offer this course, professors Jacob Caton, Katherine Baker and Leslie Parker announced an AI art class for the Spring semester of 2024. 

The interactive lecture consists of themes like creativity and imagination, the mind and the machine, the good and bad, failure, bias and the question of ‘How did we get here?’ 

The upcoming collaborative course challenges the ethical questions people have over the use of AI., as well as its role in the world and the human relationship between the use of these artificial systems. 

Caton, Ph.D., an associate professor of philosophy, will primarily focus on general philosophy and critical thinking with AI’s connection to academia and society, including discussions of the ethical dimensions of using these systems. 

“We’ll be doing a bit of the interpretive question, the ‘how do we think about these AI systems?’” Caton said. 

Caton’s lecture will further discuss the mind and how it works. Caton explained that AI literacy will have an essential part in college education. 

“This course is a small step in AI literacy to understand what these machines are, how do they work? How do I interact with them?” Caton said.

Baker Ph.D., an associate professor of art history, will focus on more of the historical aspect. Topics between the use of AI and its relationship with artistry, detailing their similarities, likeness and imitation.

“There’s a whole history of artists spending huge amounts of time just doing hands,” Baker said. “So it’s interesting that (AI’s) failing in the same places as you know artists have trouble.”

Parker, an assistant professor of graphic design, will focus on the graphic design course section. 

Parker said she plans to hold organized workshops, experiment and work with generative AI images in various applications such as Photoshop, MidJourney, Dall-E and more. 

Experts will teach students in each respective field to gain a better understanding and get hands-on experience with AI.

 “Thinking about and interacting with this technology is crucial to understanding how it will change our futures,” Parker said.

The goal for the three professors is for them to have mindful, willing and engaged students for this new course. 

The course offers three sections that students can choose from: art history, philosophy and graphic design. The course is available to students from any major. 

The course will only be offered once in the Spring semester with a lecture from 12:30-1:45 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays.

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