Presented By: Lacey Roberts-Hill, New Mexico State University
Co-Authors: Fisher EasleySmith, New Mexico State University
Parker Greene, New Mexico State University

Artificial intelligence (AI) has begun to rapidly transform the educational environment and professional industries alike. Artists, such as photographers, are facing the decision of ignoring and remaining indifferent to this new trend or embracing the tool. In classrooms, students are finding themselves to be more motivated and engaged when AI is implemented into the coursework. To challenge and motivate students, we utilized AI to provide a photo prompt for students in an introductory photography course at New Mexico State University. In class, students were instructed to individually ask an AI generator such as ChatGPT, to generate a depiction of an image. Once the image was generated, the students were then instructed to go and take a photograph resembling the AI generated image. of student-generated prompts included, “Capture the essence of fleeting moments in everyday life, find beauty in the mundane, and let the simplicity of a single moment.” Students were given approximately two weeks to take one image based on the prompt. Our objectives targeted previously learned course-based skills, challenged their creativity, and built on conversations about the ethics of using AI. Students remarked the activity challenged their intentions behind their photo and pushed them out of their comfort zone. The students stated their favorite part of the activity was “being in control of my prompt, and “seeing what AI could come up with.” Utilizing AI in the classroom allows students to challenge their creativity and encourages educators to embrace the tool. We recommend allowing students complete control over their prompt and to allow for an abundant amount of time for the photos to be taken. Future research should be conducted to evaluate if students can determine original versus AI-generated images to further develop visual literacy.