What I Learned When Students Walked Out of My AI Class.
Christopher Hogg
Happy Teachers Change the World. Research Fellow Royal Holloway at Royal Holloway, University of London
Teaching AI can be as thrilling as it is challenging. This became abundantly clear one day when three students walked out of my class, visibly upset. They later explained their frustration: after spending years learning their creative skills, they were disheartened to see AI effortlessly outperform them at the blink of an eye.
This moment stuck with me—not because it was unexpected, but because it encapsulates the paradoxical relationship we all seem to have with AI. As both an educator and a creative, I find myself asking: How do we engage with this powerful tool without losing ourselves in the process? This is the story of how I turned moments of resistance into opportunities for deeper understanding.
The Experiment: Bringing AI to the Creative Process
Last term, my team and I explored the intersection of AI and creativity through an experiment inspired by 1960s "happenings." Drawing from Salvador Dali's surreal performances with flamenco musicians, we recreated a modern version by combining live jazz, spoken word, and OpenAI’s DALL-E.
The experiment raised an intriguing question: What happens when you replace the human with AI? Could this reveal something profound about the future of industrialized creativity, or would it strip away the soul of the artistic process?
For my students, it was an opportunity to engage with cutting-edge technology—but for some, it was also a confrontation with uncomfortable truths about their own creative journeys.
Turning Frustration Into Reflection
When the student walked out, their frustration spoke to a fear many share: that AI diminishes the value of hard-earned skills. In the discussion that followed, we uncovered two key insights:
AI as a Launchpad: For those with strong foundational skills, AI can accelerate creativity, allowing them to experiment and push boundaries in ways previously impossible.
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The Danger of Dependency: However, relying on AI too early in the learning process can stunt growth, leading to average outcomes and missed opportunities for deep, co-creative play.
This dichotomy became central to our conversations, sparking rich debates about the role of technology in shaping not only creativity but identity.
The Future of Creativity: A Framework for Thought
Looking ahead, I often turn to Marshall McLuhan’s theories to make sense of AI’s impact on creativity:
These insights shape how I approach teaching AI, helping students navigate both its possibilities and pitfalls.
What I’ve Learned: A Gen X Perspective
As someone from Generation X, I approach AI with a mix of awe and caution. My generation remembers a pre-internet world, and we experienced the internet’s early utopian promise. For us, AI feels like another moment of magic—but also one that comes with a cost.
For younger generations, who have grown up with technology’s mixed blessings, the magic of AI may not be as apparent. And yet, I believe there’s an opportunity to bridge that gap by focusing on what AI can enhance in human creativity, while being mindful of what it could take away.
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Consumer/User Experience (CX) Expert with international research and marketing experience.
3 个月Great content! Could you expand the research and publish it in “traditional” journal? Would fly!
Owner, Hubub Media LLP
3 个月Yes, very insightful indeed. Generative AI use in “filmmaking”, is another incredible tool that is based on, and evolved, from humankind’s creative expressions and experiences. Without these there would be no data for the LLMs to “learn” and grow from. However, it’s very easy for AI to be used in lazy ways across all apects of moving image design - scripting, narration, actor’s movements, photography, music and foley. It needs to be used in supportive ways that enhance and give new opportunities to the creative workflow and processes. And as you alluded, it’s key that we do not isolate ourselves and become a “jack of all trades” - collaboration with others be key. And zi hope it continues this way. I encourage my fellow team members, who work on my productions, to use AI tools to enhance their particular skill-set/roles, and then share that AI knowledge with all of us in the team too, and we can all then develop and embellish the final production. As they say, “The Whole Is Greater Than The Sum Of Its Parts”. Thoughts?
Digital Product Manager | Executive Producer | AI Enablement Lead | Founder Cinémaison - Launch title Ikareye | Innovating at the Intersection of Story, Technology & Audience Engagement
3 个月Love this! Reminds me of my experience in interactive media around the time of the internet became a thing. Boundless possiblities that could often feel paralysing. Such great insight :)
Founder 404Films.net | Format Alchemist | AI Video Creator | Quiz and Gameshow Expert
3 个月Minded to how Salieri felt when he realised mozart just reinvented music, or a painter after Niepce had started showing off the first photos. What's awesome about being a student right now is that those tools - editing, writing, directing, give you a massive headstart with prompting. I've done telly for over a decade and can say that it's much more terrifying for those at the other end of their career. Personally, I love it, it's a ground zero moment where you can go along for the ride.
Forged in the blazing heat of the American South; tempered in the icy waters of the English Channel. Currently innovating at the intersection of media and technology. All views are my own.
3 个月Nadio Granata