AI at CAMD

As AI systems become capable of generating images, text, music, and design at scale, the question of creativity is often reduced to whether machines can match human output. But the more important question is what becomes more valuable because of AI. CAMD programs cultivate the judgment and perspective to allow people to orient and give meaning to what AI makes possible — experimenting with the benefits and limitations of computational processes, rather than simply producing within them.

We pursue critical engagement with AI as a medium that transforms urban spaces, storytelling, journalism, and democratic participation, situating AI systems politically and culturally rather than treating them as neutral tools. A student equipped to critically engage with AI can interrogate how outputs are produced, make intentional choices about when to use AI and when not to, and understand the ethical and moral stakes of an AI-embedded society.

We are actively building human-centered AI — work that requires a deep understanding of what it means to be human and how technology can meaningfully support human flourishing. This means developing literacy across many dimensions — technological, data, information, and design — so that students can not only use AI tools effectively, but interrogate how they work and what values they embed.