AI event highlights fine line between generating, creating

Kelley Gottschang shows her favorite AI generated logo. She told AI to create a logo for a cruise company.

Beck Elandt | Staff Writer 

Photos by Courtney Prielipp

While artificial intelligence can produce a version of imagination, the Digital Media Arts department at WCC ensures lasting prominence. The Creativity and AI event showcased one department, and four of its five disciplines. 

On the evening of Feb. 27, leaders in photography, graphic design, film production and animation all contributed to casting a bright inquiry over the cloudy landscape of artificial intelligence.

Graphic design

Kelley Gottschang, a graphic design professor, spearheaded the idea to have students interact with AI. She said that AI is becoming more intertwined with digital media jobs. Gottschang wanted students to learn more about AI and what it can do.

Representing graphic design faculty, Kelly Gottschang had her students experiment with AI when it first became a tool and continues to teach its limitations. 

Later, Gottschang and her students found that ChatGPT, for example, can only pull from what it knows (information fed into a model) and can come up with things that aren’t true or don’t exist if search criteria are too numerous or difficult. 

This was discovered when they prompted AI to create a list of songs about different bodies of water, and the information given was found to be made up after double-checking with a search engine. 

“We pour ourselves into our work,” said Gottschang, contrasting what AI lacks when it comes to a “self.” 

Creating logos for the coursework in her class proved to be difficult for earlier and present-day versions of AI, with it having trouble meeting basic logo criteria, much less making it appealing.

3D animation

Randy Van Wagnen presented for the 3D animation department. Van Wagnen said that AI gives answers based on statistics of information. He said that it’s important to get a response from AI but its just as important to make sure it is accurate.

A common misconception is that AI has its own judgment, when the reality is it gives answers based on statistics of information sourced from its database. 

Randy Vanwagnen, representing the 3D animation department at WCC, showcased how AI “will give you an authority voice answer for everything.” It’s first job is to provide a response, and its second is to be accurate. 

Vanwagnen said his classes are filled with passionate learners, some who feel strongly about AI and its potential for controversy. 

While some might use AI exclusively to answer questions, he noted that students found it very useful for brainstorming or to get the ball rolling before doing their own work, if they double-checked information to be true. 

He and several of his colleagues aim to push “AI literacy” as a mere tool, not to be substituted for oneself.

Photography

Don Werthmann is a photography professor that presented during the event. He presented photos of student works against AI-generated work. During his class, he encouraged students not to fear AI and to explore the idea of what AI can do.

Don Werthmann, professional faculty of photography, reported his students fear and felt “intimidated” with AI’s ability to create compelling photographs, with the superstition that it could accomplish tasks they might be paid to do themselves.

Using Firefly AI (an extension of Adobe), Werthmann had his students develop images based on criteria they came up with. They either were unrealistic or didn’t appeal to basic composition. Upon trying to mend specific abnormalities or simply change the perspective, his students found there was no way to do so without changing the entire image. 

When asked about the amount of potential AI has, Werthmann said, “We’re compelled to see where it’s going.” He is not worried about it changing his career in any way, or the role of students in the Digital Media arts program. 

Like several other professors prompting creativity, Randy Vanwagnen articulated that his enjoyment has to do with the “human” part, understanding that he won’t be replaced.

Robert Frakes is taking photography classes and went to the Creativity and AI event. He said he found the event very enlightening. He liked seeing students work and how the event encouraged students to learn more about AI trends.

The WCC Digital Media Department presented the Creativity and AI event. Different media in the department from graphic design, photography, 3D animation, and digital video each presented. All presenters did an experiment with AI in each of their Fall 24 students.

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