Arts and AI
Over the past several years, a2ru has been leading sector-wide conversations on the role of AI in the arts in higher education, and the roles artists must play in the continued development and regulation of AI tools. Our multi-faceted work in this critical area encompasses in-person convenings and digital events, a dedicated working group, and publications ranging from policy briefs to the multi-part inaugural issue of Tradition Innovations in Arts, Design and Media Higher Education, our journal published in partnership with a2ru member the University of Nevada Las Vegas.
Publications
“Centering the Arts in the Age of AI: Advancing Education, Innovation, and Workforce Development through Creative Practices” Executive Summary
a2ru is pleased to share the Executive Summary of findings from the 2024 symposium “Creativity, Empathy, and AI: A National Summit on the Human-AI Creative Partnership,” hosted by a2ru member institutions Virginia Tech, Carnegie Mellon and Penn State in partnership with a2ru. “Centering the Arts in the Age of AI: Advancing Education, Innovation, and Workforce Development through Creative Practices” was prepared by Daragh Byrne (Carnegie Mellon), Maryrose Flanigan (a2ru), R. Benjamin Knapp (Virginia Tech), Aaron Knochel (Penn State), and Lisa McNair (Virginia Tech). The report summarizes three main benefits of forging new partnerships between the arts and other fields leading in AI development, as well as outlining recommendations, key commitments, and corresponding actions developed in the 2-day summit. The executive summary concludes with a list of policy recommendations for government entities to ensure American competitiveness in AI through the Arts.
“Artificial Intelligence and Possible Futures for the Arts”
Published in several parts between 2023 and 2025, this inaugural special issue of Tradition Innovations in Arts, Design and Media Higher Education, an open-access, peer-reviewed journal published in partnership between a2ru and the University of Nevada Las Vegas, asks, “How are recent innovations in Artificial Intelligence (AI)—ones that change art processes and appear to produce creative works—transforming the creation of art and knowledge? ”
Events
In-Person Convenings
Strengthening Arts-Led Leadership and Partnerships in AI: A National Summit
September 25-26, 2025
National arts and design faculty, arts and industry leaders, artists, and AI collaborators gathered for the 2nd Annual National Summit on AI and the arts. Inspired by the 2024 Summit’s findings, “Centering the Arts in the Age of AI,” the conversation continued with a focus on arts-led leadership and partnerships in AI.
Hosted in partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and featuring other industry leaders, this gatherig explored how the arts can drive innovation, shape ethical and inclusive AI development, and expand workforce pathways through creative practice. Grounded in empathy and interdisciplinary partnership, the summit shone a spotlight on actionable strategies for integrating the arts into AI education, research, and policy.
Creativity, Empathy and AI: A National Summit on The Human-AI Creative Partnership
April 11-12, 2024
With practitioners and educators at the nexus of creativity and AI, this will be the first time the a2ru network convened nationally to focus singularly on advancing human-computer creative partnerships to transform participatory teaching, learning and creative practice.
This summit focused on the use of AI as a collaborator in the creative process and how forms of computational co-creation will transform what is possible. It brought together:
- Arts educators from creative writing and the visual, sonic, performing, and applied arts
- Technologists and innovators in creativity and AI
- Pedagogical experts in the arts focused human-AI and/or human-computer creative partnerships
- Funders, industry experts, and policy makers invested in the conversation of human-AI and/or human-computer creative partnerships
Virtual Events
Creative Labor Issues for Arts Graduates: Navigating the Post-AI Landscape
February 25, 2026
AI cannot replace human creativity and skills, nor can it serve as a co-creator.
These were foundational convictions of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) when they successfully advocated for the rights of creatives in Hollywood during their latest contract negotiations. Please join us as a2ru presents Jillian Arnold, president of IATSE Local 695, who was a crucial voice providing the evidence to successfully negotiate these tricky terms on behalf of 40,000 creative workers in the United States and 10,000 in Canada. You’ll hear about what’s at stake in these negotiations, and what has been done (and still needs to be done) on behalf of all creators to safeguard their artistry and livelihoods. Join a discussion of what that means for how we educate arts students and prepare them to protect their creativity in the workforce; monitor ethical issues; and create art within and beyond the higher education sector.
A[]RTS: Artificial intelligence, artistic intelligence & possible futures for the arts
October 9, 2025
What might the future of the Arts look like in the age of AI? Join us for a transdisciplinary conversation that critically explores the disruptive impacts of artificial intelligence on creative labor, education, and artistic identity—while imagining new, generative possibilities for artistic practice made possible by creative uses of generative AI.
As Generative AI continues to transform working in the arts, what are the questions we need to be asking now? What strategies could we employ to fill the open bracket [] for generating positive futures for the Arts?
Working Artists and AI in the Creative Economy Today
April 23, 2025
This webinar invites participants to explore how generative artificial intelligence is changing the creative economy, and redefining our understanding of creativity and human expression. We consider the role of AI as enhancement for creative practice workflows and how to teach these new creative processes. Panelists will provide thoughts on what to teach emerging artists as they enter this brave new world.
How does AI redefine what it means to be creative in a digital age? What do AI technologies reveal about the uniquely human aspects of storytelling, performance, and the creative process itself? How can AI help us tell more compelling stories? What safeguards need to be in place so that working artists in the creative economy can continue to work productively? How can we teach skills for using generative AI in creative practice workflows in ethical and empowering ways?
Creativity & Agency in the Age of AI: Using genAI Productively and Ethically in Creative Practice and Teaching
March 6, 2025
The interactive conversation in this webinar invited participants to explore how artificial intelligence and machine learning redefine our understanding of creativity and human expression, as we consider the role of AI as enhancement for creative practice workflows and how to teach these new creative processes. Panelists provided current resources to stay informed about the rapidly evolving AI for the Arts landscape.
How can AI help us tell more compelling stories, design more imaginative visuals, and redefine what it means to be creative in a digital age? What do AI technologies reveal about the uniquely human aspects of storytelling, performance, and the creative process itself? How can we teach skills for using generative AI in ethical and empowering ways?
Towards Better Tools: Shaping the Future of AI for the Arts and Design in Higher Education
April 5, 2024, presented in partnership with the Association of Independent Colleges of Art & Design (AICAD) and the International Council for Arts Deans (ICFAD)
This panel discussion envisioned more productive, equitable, and artful futures for the use of AI in arts and design higher education. In the midst of rapid technological development and the anxiety that attends these changes, how can academic and artistic leaders work collectively to proactively shape the continued development of these tools and their deployment in research, teaching and practice?
Teaching Art, Design, and Media in the Age of AI
January 8, 2024
The past year brought a tsunami of information about GenAI in the Arts, making is challenging to keep up for educators. What should Art, Design, and Media educators know about generative AI as they begin their Spring 2024 courses?
This webinar brough together educators, working artists, researchers, and technologists to provide actionable, concrete information on teaching in the age of GenAI.
AI Provocateurs
October 5, 2023
Generative AI is emerging as the latest technology to disrupt the arts, design, and media fields. How are creative faculty responding, sometimes in unexpected ways? This webinar brings together working artists, educators, researchers, and technologists to discuss how they are exploring AI from diverse perspectives—ethically, creatively, and productively.
This panel discussion was moderated by Dr. Yvonne Houy, the Editor of Tradition-Innovations in Art, Design, and Media Higher Education.
Working Group
Started in 2024, the AI in the Arts Working Group meets monthly and represents a diverse range of disciplinary and cultural perspectives gathered in shared study of AI potentialities, particularly in the context of arts and design higher education. The group is chaired by Daragh Byrne (Carnegie Mellon University) and Aaron Knochel (Penn State).