Summary
Sichuan Fine Arts Institute hosted an international academic dialogue on October 14 about images and artificial intelligence. University of Chicago professor W.J.T. Mitchell traced ideas of artificial life through robotics, animation and puppetry, arguing that AI expands image production while also increasing risks such as misinformation. Institute president Jiao Xingtao responded that human intelligence includes bodily experience, practical skill and tacit judgment that language models cannot fully capture. He described AI as something to learn from, collaborate with and critically oppose. Mitchell proposed broadening STEM into “SCHTEAM” by adding culture, history and art, while the institute highlighted its joint experimental-art and electronic-engineering degree with the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China.
Hana’s perspective
I find the emphasis on tacit knowledge especially useful for AI animation. Models can generate images and propose motion, but they do not remove the craft knowledge behind timing, performance, composition and judgment. Treating AI as teacher, collaborator and adversary at once is a stronger production stance than either obedience or rejection. The expansion from STEM to a culture-and-arts framework also matters: creators need technical literacy, but they also need history and criticism to recognize when a convincing image is misleading or empty. That combination is what turns access to a model into responsible visual practice.
Are you a writer with a great story? We'd love to hear from you: APPLY HERE