Ringling College, Fla., Launches AI Certificate for Creative Majors

The Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, Fla., is launching an artificial intelligence certificate program specific to creative industries.

The program, announced in a news release this week, will be open to students in every academic major and consist of three courses that cover the fundamentals of AI and machine learning principals and focus on “responsible integration” in creative practices.

“AI is scary, exciting, revolutionary, and sometimes feels like an existential threat to creators of all kinds,” Rick Dakan, AI coordinator at Ringling College, said in a public statement. “The AI undergraduate certificate program is a proactive response to the rapid technological changes reshaping the creative landscape. We want our students to be equipped to shape the future of art with AI, not simply be shaped by it.”

As part of the hands-on approach, students in the certificate program will be responsible for completing creative projects and developing a portfolio of work that they can showcase in their career search, according to the news release.

“Creativity is the heart of the future,” Ringling College President Larry Thompson said in a public statement. “All that creativity encompasses — imagination, design thinking, emotional intelligence, and a holistic perspective — will fuel our future economy, and society. AI is here, and here to stay. Therefore, it’s our responsibility as an institution of higher and creative learning to teach our students how to responsibly leverage this new tool to their advantage; much in the same way as we did several years ago when the computer was introduced to art and design and became the new paintbrush.”

Ringling majors include business of art and design, computer animation, creative writing, entertainment design, film, fine arts, game art, graphic design, illustration, motion design, photography and imaging, virtual reality development, and visual studies, according to the school website.

Ringling is the latest of many higher learning institutions across the U.S. to add AI-related courses of study or degree programs in anticipation of a changing job market.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) website, citing research from Harvard University and Goldman Sachs, indicated in May 2023 that generative AI had the potential to automate more than 25 percent of the work tasks in the arts, entertainment, design, media and sports industries. One example of this is an AI-generated advertisement campaign by Heinz, “Ketchup Impressionism,” for which the emerging technology autonomously created unique-shaped ketchup bottles.

“For creative industries,” the WEF article said, “generative AI will bring a range of rewards — but only if sophisticated guardrails are put in place to protect original content and designs.”

An April 2023 article in the Harvard Business Review, “How Generative AI Could Disrupt Creative Work,” predicts three possible futures in the arts, entertainment and advertising industries: an explosion of AI-assisted innovation, machines monopolize creativity, or the label “human-made” commands a premium.

“Not too long ago, the business of creativity was a uniquely human endeavor,” the article said. “However, as we illustrate, with the arrival of generative AI, this is all about to change. So, to be prepared, we need to understand the accompanying threats and challenges. Once we understand what is to change and how, we can prepare for a future where the creativity business will be a function of human–machine collaborations.”