AI and the Arts
The rise of artificial intelligence in education and the arts is exciting and daunting. Its ability to automate tasks to save time and streamline instruction and artistic production, along with its increasing power to create content, has sent shock waves through the arts community. A recent court case filed by artists against several companies that promote AI visual image generators indicates the current state of affairs in the AI/art dichotomy. Related concerns exist in the production of AI-generated music.
Amidst these challenges, educators are using AI to create lesson plans, parent email responses, and multiple-choice quizzes. Students also use it for all sorts of tasks and assignments. School districts are beginning to adopt AI policies and guidelines, and guardrails encourage using apps such as MagicSchool AI. As current forms of AI continue to expand and strengthen, GPT-5 is on the horizon, exhibiting Ph.D.-level intelligence in some of its outputs.
You're not wrong to be alarmed. AI is quickly changing the way educators and students approach their work. As educators, we often cite the phrase "knowledge is power." In this case, it is exponentially true. What is a healthy, productive way for arts educators to approach AI amidst its challenges and growing influence on education? Here are a few points to consider when thinking about this technology:
Understand how generative AI works- ChatGPT is the first platform that comes to mind when most teachers think of AI. ChatGPT utilizes generative AI, a model that samples content based on its training. For example, human trainers used several million existing images to train DALL-E. Its output relies on these inputs, which explains the concerns around bias and fairness in AI output.
Understand what it can and cannot do- ChatGPT is an example of what AI can do to produce written text with increasing abilities to intake and output audio and video content. We must balance its impressive abilities with its non-human traits. AI doesn't think, feel, empathize, or express emotions. Its outputs can be biased and convoluted. AI can hallucinate and generate false or misleading content, such as inaccurate quotes or nonexistent sources in an academic paper. When adequately wielded, AI is a powerful tool for educators and students to enhance teaching and learning. Discernment in analyzing and applying its outputs is necessary.
AI's bias and ethics challenges—As referenced above, AI can (and does) produce inaccurate results. It can also produce biased results that misrepresent language, culture, ethnicity, and other important human traits. Improvements will be realized as large language models (LLM) continue to source more information. Currently, bias in results is a real possibility, as outlined in this article from Chapman University. As with technological advances in music sharing and sampling, the law still needs to catch up up to the ethical concerns around the use of AI. The sampling of materials created by artists and writers to generate new material has some precedence in the music and art worlds, but AI takes it to new, unexplored levels. For educators, the top ethical concerns are academic integrity, privacy, and job/role replacement. As AI gains power and takes on a veneer of objectivity, its ethical challenges will not disappear.
The arts are inherently human- Outputs in the arts occur through iterative processes of practice, exploration, production, and refinement. AI follows similar processes in producing its work but does so unconsciously and without the influence of context, experience, mood/emotion, and intent. The collaborative, instinctual nature of the arts also strengthens its place in the school curriculum. This quote from a Virginia Department of Education guidance document on AI captures the importance of arts subjects in our current and future educational environments: “While AI tools can analyze information and enhance certain aspects of learning with unmatched efficiency, we must remember that education is ultimately a human endeavor. The true art of teaching involves wisdom, judgment, and interpersonal skills that machines cannot replicate.”
If you're a latecomer to the world of AI, today is the day to dive in. Try out ChatGPT. Read current thinking on AI and its rapidly approaching future. If you're a teacher, check out the Human Intelligence Movement website, an organization dedicated to preserving the human element in education and the future of AI.
Also ask your technology department or your principal/supervisor about current policies and guidelines concerning AI and its use by teachers, students, and employees. As stated by a Southern New Hampshire University professor in a 2023 panel discussion on AI, "It won't replace people, but people who know AI will replace people who don't."
What are your experiences with AI? What questions do you have that we may be able to answer or help you and your school or district explore? Contact us anytime! We'd love to hear from you.
Brad
