As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly integrated into everyday life, students and faculty at the University of Michigan are grappling with how to approach this technology in the classroom. Recognizing both the advantages and drawbacks of AI, professors in the Stamps School of Art & Design have begun to outline acceptable uses of the technology for themselves and their students
Prospective Stamps School of Art & Design students are not allowed to use AI in their portfolios, but there is no defined policy on AI use for current students. In fact, many Art & Design professors engage with AI in their work and classrooms. Art & Design Professor Osman Khan has integrated AI into his current project, which uses AI to reimagine figures found in folklore from South Asian, Middle Eastern, Muslim and other traditions and bring them to life.
Audrey Bennett and Ron Eglash, Art & Design professors and research partners at the Generative Justice Lab, also use AI in their projects.
The pair created a computer program that teaches children math and computing. According to an op-ed from Eglash and Bennett, the program uses digital tools to highlight the complex mathematical sequences and patterns found in various cultures’ design practices. These “heritage algorithms” include Navajo weaving patterns, fractals in African architecture, cornrow braid iterations and shapes from urban graffiti.
Eglash explained that when used in the wrong way, AI can harm small artists by stealing their designs and profits. Eglash told The Daily he is passionate about resolving this issue and is collaborating with Bennett to rectify it through another one of their projects, Generative Justice.
“(Through AI art), you’ve created a means of labor theft,” Eglash said. “You’ve created a way of taking the hard work of millions of human artists, not crediting them for their work, not paying them for their work, but extracting their labor value. So the problem (with AI art) we’re trying to solve is exactly that.”
Through Generative Justice, Bennett and Eglash use AI to restore artisans’ power by collaborating with African artists to sell their designs as templates and have AI recreate prints for fair compensation.
Khan, Eglash and Bennett all said they oppose students using AI to produce work, expressing that it is akin to plagiarism.
“That’s where I would ask students not to, mainly because they’re cheating themselves a little bit,” Khan said. “Students always need shortcuts, I know. But to me, it’s just short-changing yourself.”
Some Art & Design students were similarly opposed to using AI in their artwork. In an interview with The Daily, Art & Design sophomore Yuri Cho said she feels AI detracts from the creative process.
“As artists, we have that creative privilege and ability to make something on our own,” Cho said. “So the concept of not using that is very distressing to me because there’s so much untapped potential within ourselves.”
Cho said she believes that using AI to create art is unimaginative.
“It’s just creating a very soulless amalgamation of something that could be created by your own hands,” Cho said.
Correction: This article has been updated to reflect the name of the lab that Bennett and Eglash work in.
Daily Staff Reporter Violet Boyd can be reached at viboyd@umich.edu.