Beyond ChatGPT

What's next for generative AI in higher arts education? Discover the valuable outcomes arising from the recent AI webinar co-produced by EUA and ELIA.

In the forefront of continued technological evolution and innovation, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and generative AI has become an increasingly popular topic of interest on a global scale both within and external to higher education institutions. Generative AI technologies have been met with a mixed reception by the higher education community. While some encourage prohibiting its use in pedagogical and learning practices, others advocate for its importance of integration as a constructive tool in higher education missions. This approach aims to capitalise on the opportunities and creative solutions it may present while also evaluating the potential risks. 

This became the foci of discussion on 23 June 2023, when in collaboration with the European University Association (EUA), ELIA facilitated an informative webinar on Artificial Intelligence entitled ‘Beyond ChatGPT - what next for generative AI in higher education?’ Co-moderated by ELIA Executive Director Maria Hansen and  Thomas Jørgensen, Director for Policy Coordination and Foresight (EUA), this webinar delved into the potential of generative AI in higher arts education and its impact on learning experiences and creativity. Speakers included Pawel Pokutycki (Creative technologist and senior lecturer at the Design Academy Eindhoven and Royal Academy of Art, The Hague), Grit Wolany (AI Scout from Zurich University of the Arts ZHdK), Michaël Lobet (Associate of Harvard University and FRS-FNRS research associate and lecturer from the University of Namur), and Jill Walker Rettberg (Professor, Co-Director of the Centre for Digital Narrative from University of Bergen). 

The use of AI technologies by students and teachers can leverage generative AI to create novel learning experiences and stimulate creativity. Nevertheless, there are valid apprehensions, such as the propagation of false information and data privacy concerns. Universities also face obstacles in the evaluation of work being produced by students using artificial intelligence technologies. Pawel Potuycki led the discussion about generative AI as an exciting possibility for the future of higher arts education as a tool which both challenges and advances our conceptions of artistry. He further noted that the use and implementation of artificial intelligence in higher education does not exist in a vacuum and stressed the importance of students actively engaging in discourses around AI from an integrative approach of social, climate and ethical considerations.  

In her segment, Grit Wolany spoke about the importance of her job as an AI scout for the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) and the work she does to stay in the know of the continuously evolving and dynamic world of AI. Wolany noted how as an AI scout it is her job to observe, collect and connect with the material and the importance of combining critical and human curiosity with professional expertise in the systematic investigation of the whole topic. With a focus on the impact of generative AI on teaching within higher institutions, Michaël Lobet outlined the subtle balance between ‘evolution and revolution’, and how instructors should take into account when creating an assignment or task for a student, ‘what can a student do that ChatGPT or generative AI cannot?’ Lobet further remarked on the importance of transparency in using AI and how we must change our learning goals and acknowledge that ChatGPT is now part of the fabric of learning and teaching in the contemporary moment. Interestingly, he stipulated that only 1 in 6 students actually know how to use AI and thus, both students and teachers need to be better educated about how to use it effectively.  

Jill Rettberg furthered this notion as she noted how AI is merely one of a long list of technologies enabling new kinds of crafts which weren’t possible earlier. With the integration of AI across university curricula there is a huge hunger for knowledge about how to use this technology and ChatGPT, and therefore, it is paramount that students and staff of these institutions understand how to use it. Finally, she noted that assessment criteria and learning needs to be far more dialogic and explorative of these technologies.  

It is almost impossible to discern where generative AI will take us next in the field of higher arts education, and the impact it will have on learning and pedagogical practices. Yet, by bringing together experts in the field, this kind of webinar allows educators to keep a finger on the pulse of the transformative power of this technology and how it may shape the education sector moving forward.   

Engage with this fascinating webinar and watch the speakers in action.

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