The College for Creative Studies Leads With Institution-Wide Artificial Intelligence Policy
October 24, 2023
Rapidly developing artificial intelligence (AI) technology is bringing to light serious concerns within the art and design industry. The integration of this technology – that has advancement capabilities beyond anything anyone has ever seen – is pushing art and design colleges to assess responsible technology usage within their schools. As an early adopter of AI as a resource tool, the College for Creative Studies (CCS) is the first AICAD (the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design) college in the United States to fully develop and implement an institution-wide artificial intelligence policy.
Tim Flattery, Provost, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Chief Academic Officer and Director of the Concept Design department, describes AI as “so polarizing in regards to how it pillages from other artists and writers. It also allows the user to arrive straight to a final output without committing to the journey. This circumvents what we do in education completely. Learning and mastering the proper skill sets as an artist, designer and writer are paramount.”
With a storied career spanning over 35 years in the entertainment industry as a Hollywood concept artist and designer, Flattery has weathered many advancements in technology in the art and design industry. He quickly recognized the need to adapt and implement guardrails for AI usage so that students and faculty have the ability to use AI as a process tool, but can continue to produce original high quality art and design work. When Flattery approached leadership about this need, the College did not shirk away from the task at hand.
Over the course of one year, CCS systematically researched, surveyed and crafted a robust plan for broadscale AI usage. What began as an AI task force of faculty, staff, students and department chairs formed by Flattery, soon morphed into surveying the entire college (and liaising with industry partners) resulting in an institutional statement that reflected all voices and disciplines.
Members of the working group addressed AI use in the classroom, academic integrity and AI integration into final work. Paul Snyder, Chair of the Transportation Design department and AI working group member believes the new policy will enhance the student experience at CCS. “An AI policy offers guidance to faculty and students by establishing guidelines to stay within, ensuring students continue to get the most of their respective departmental programs while being aware of trends in technology they will have at their disposal after graduation.”
Furthermore, recognizing both the challenges and benefits of AI systems and how these differ by discipline, the College looked to the program Chairs to develop program-specific AI utilization guidelines for their department’s curriculum. Becca Pad, Library Director and Co-Chair of the Artificial Intelligence working group is proud of the synergy such a dynamic group was able to achieve in a short period of time. “The outputs from the workgroup will help guide students, faculty, and staff into a new era of art and design education,” she said.
As a community of working artists and designers, the working group developed the following key points within the policy to safeguard the intellectual property of student artists and designers. Recognizing the importance that students develop strong foundational skills, appropriate usage, as defined below, is critical.
This is a living document in order to adapt to the ongoing evolution and polarizing concerns of all generative platforms.
What is considered “appropriate usage”?
- Approval by instruction in conjunction with department guidelines – AI results should not be included in final outputs or deliverables.
- Students must cite systems and document relevant prompts used in process and research.
- Unless specifically approved, it is prohibited to use names of artists/designers, companies or brands in prompts.
- Equity in access to AI systems must be assured by the instructor.
- Admissions Guidelines: The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools can only be used for process and research and may not be used as a final image(s) for admissions purposes. You may not use artists’ names within your prompt(s) and you must cite the prompts and platforms used. There is a limit of 1 piece created using AI tools allowed in the application portfolio.
Ashlei Watson, Director of Academic Planning and Effectiveness and also Co-Chair of the Artificial Intelligence working group is looking to the future and the working group’s commitment to continuing the discourse on responsible AI usage. “In the coming academic year, the working group will continue to discuss the use of AI as a creative tool with students, faculty and staff in town hall forums. We will also develop a list of AI tools for institution-level subscriptions.” Watson believes continued vigilance in assessing the effectiveness of the policy will be key.
Flattery acknowledges the institutional policy created by the College will have to adjust as artificial intelligence technology continues to advance. “This is a living document – one designed to be adapted as Artificial Intelligence continues to evolve,” Flattery said.
And although the policy itself may change, he believes “it will enforce the use of AI as a tool for process only. It enforces responsible use and ensures respect for other artists’ intellectual property.”
To prepare students for these changes and guidelines, students will also receive a theoretical introduction to artificial intelligence through a required Digital Techniques course. The College believes first-year student exposure to AI allows students to be digitally literate and understand the changing landscape early in their tenure at CCS.
“It’s imperative for the College to have an AI policy because AI is staged to have an enormous impact on visual culture globally,” Snyder said. “As well as all other forms of culture. The discourse around AI has already challenged our accepted notions of creativity and the human capacity for genius, so any institution involved in the production of culture must address it critically.”
A link to CCS’s institutional statement, which includes hyperlinked department guidelines can be found here https://campus.collegeforcreativestudies.edu/academic-affairs/. You can find information regarding CCS’s admissions policy and AI usage here, https://www.ccsdetroit.edu/admissions/undergraduate-admissions/undergraduate-portfolio-requirements/.
About AICAD
AICAD – the Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design – is a non-profit consortium of the leading specialized arts and design schools in the US and Canada. Founded in 1991, the mission is to help strengthen the member colleges individually and collectively, and to inform the public about these colleges and universities and the value of studying the arts and design.
AICAD institutions educate more than 50,000 undergraduate and graduate students each year, plus many thousands more in summer and continuing education programs.
