The 2023 Tsinghua International Conference on Art & Design Education (ICADE 2023), hosted by Tsinghua University and organized by its Academy of Arts and Design (AADTHU), opened at the Auditorium of Tsinghua University on Dec. 15, focusing on the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in shaping the future of art creation.

The opening ceremony of the 2023 Tsinghua International Conference on Art & Design Education (ICADE 2023) is held at the snow-covered Auditorium of Tsinghua University in Beijing, Dec. 15, 2023. [Photo courtesy of AADTHU]

With the theme "The Emerging Roles," the conference gathered more than 40 guests from academia, education, and industry fields from countries including China, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, and the Netherlands. Nearly 400 delegates from over 150 universities and colleges nationwide attended, along with Tsinghua University faculty and students.

Peng Gang, vice president of Tsinghua University, addressed the opening ceremony. He emphasized educators' need to return to their original aspirations and take proactive steps to respond to AI's impact on education. "It is important to grasp the new principles and models of deep integration between AI and education, creating efficient and friendly human-machine collaborative learning environments, and cultivating future talents in China who are more conscious, innovative, open-minded, and resilient," he said.

Peng Gang, vice president of Tsinghua University, speaks at ICADE 2023 held at Tsinghua University in Beijing, Dec. 15, 2023. [Photo courtesy of AADTHU]

Peng specifically reviewed the previous two editions of the conference, with themes "Ask: Our Diverse World" in 2021 and "The Symbiosis of All Things" in 2022. He pointed out that Tsinghua's ICADE has consistently aligned with the academic frontier and social concerns, becoming an influential academic brand.

Ma Sai, dean of AADTHU, said the conference marked a new historical starting point in the AI era. He lauded the conference's forward-looking topics, such as the transition from human-machine co-learning to human-machine co-creation, shaping new roles for future art and design talents, and fostering innovative thinking in art and design education.

"Driven by AI technology, AADTHU will adhere to an innovation-driven educational philosophy and place greater emphasis on interdisciplinary integration," he said. "We call on all participants to take inspiration from this conference as a new starting point and collectively guide art and design education toward a new future."

Ma Sai, dean of AADTHU, speaks at ICADE 2023 held at Tsinghua University in Beijing, Dec. 15, 2023. [Photo courtesy of AADTHU]

Following the opening ceremony, heavyweight speakers from various fields, including global art and design, AI, and neuroscience, presented their insights. Centered on the theme "The Emerging Roles" and the core topic "Re-identifying Artist & Designer in the Era of AI," they questioned and reexamined conventional methods of global art and design education. Their goal was to discover new strategies for ongoing collaboration and development among different disciplines and diverse cultures amidst technological transformation. The speakers collectively recognized that such collaborative and interdisciplinary efforts are crucial for driving "paradigm innovation" in global art and design, as well as in interdisciplinary fields.

Zhang Bo, a fellow of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and honorary director of the Institute for Artificial Intelligence at Tsinghua University, discussed the role of AI in art. He stated that the impact of image generators on painting depends on human development. "Our education should not only focus on developing skills, but also emphasize fostering innovative and imaginative capabilities. Only in this way can we advance and transform art in the era of generative AI," he said.

Hu Shimin, also a fellow of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a professor in the Department of Computer Science and Technology at Tsinghua University, noted challenges in handling the various aspects and layers of visual information. This complexity requires the exploration of new backbone networks and the training and optimization of algorithms. In the era of deep learning, computational visual media demands coordinated efforts in algorithms, data, computing power, and frameworks.

Zhang Bo, a fellow of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the honorary director of the Institute for Artificial Intelligence at Tsinghua University, speaks at the ICADE 2023 forum held at Tsinghua University in Beijing, Dec. 15, 2023. [Photo courtesy of AADTHU]

Gordon Hush, head of the School of Innovation and Technology at the Glasgow School of Art, stated that innovation led by design is a collaborative practice requiring the specialized knowledge and experience of various entities. He emphasized the importance of considering not only humans, creatures, or natural phenomena but also technological entities as participants in this collaboration, highlighting the need for interdisciplinary cooperation and diverse forms of knowledge and practice.

Tom Kvan, dean of the School of Design at the Southern University of Science and Technology, focused on the role of AI in design. He argued that AI's power is not in generating images or final projects, but in acting as a companion and assistant to humans in seeking better results. "Designers tackle challenging problems, not just seeking solutions to pre-structured problems. AI is just a tool; the ethical responsibility behind it remains with humans," he said.

Four thematic forums were also held on Dec. 16 at the academy. Over 30 experts and scholars from various fields engaged in interdisciplinary, cross-disciplinary, and comprehensive discussions on the development of art and design education in the AI era. On Dec. 17, the AI Masters Meta Classes were also held at AADTHU, where AI, acting as a multidisciplinary and multi-identity virtual mentor, engaged in meta-class discussions with frontline teachers from different disciplines. Students and teachers collectively brainstormed creative designs on various themes.