SCAD’s Applied AI degree sparks faculty debate as creative jobs face automation

Savannah College of Art and Design has launched a new Applied AI degree program, marking a controversial addition to the largest art and design school in the United States. The program aims to prepare students for emerging AI-related careers but has sparked heated debate among faculty and students about whether AI tools represent innovation or a threat to artistic integrity.

What you should know: The Applied AI program launched this fall with just four declared majors and 25 minors, targeting careers like AI product developer and ethical design strategist.

• SCAD developed the curriculum around three pillars: story (helping students understand their purpose with AI), action (workflow practices and applications), and impact (addressing intellectual property and environmental concerns).
• Students must pass an “impact test” after sophomore year covering civics and ethics before advancing to higher-level coursework in AI agent design.
• The program is led by Nye Warburton, chair of interactive design and game development, who calls it a “researched best guess” about changing employment landscapes.

Why this matters: The program reflects broader tensions in creative industries as AI disrupts traditional artistic workflows and employment opportunities.

• According to industry tracker data, an estimated 14,600 people were laid off from game development positions in 2024, up from 10,500 in 2023, with generative AI contributing to these cuts.
• SCAD boasts that 99% of its graduates are typically employed or pursuing further education within a year, making the program’s job market predictions particularly significant.

Faculty and student reactions vary dramatically: Different departments at SCAD have embraced or rejected the AI curriculum based on how automation affects their fields.

• Industrial design, UX, architecture, and interior design departments are “proactively moving forward in AI,” while illustration and sequential art departments remain strongly opposed.
• Photography professors have been surprisingly receptive, with many noting they’ve “already been disrupted by digital” technology.
• Animation faculty support the program for pipeline acceleration possibilities, but students express strong opposition due to concerns about artist data usage and environmental impact.

What industry experts are saying: Professionals offer mixed perspectives on AI’s role in creative work and education.

• “Generative AI is an automation technology, full stop,” says Reid Southen, a concept artist whose credits include The Hunger Games and Matrix Resurrections. “There’s no world in which it creates jobs.”
• Recent SCAD graduate Ami Frost reports a shift in hiring: “Some friends have actually gotten jobs because they know AI. I think learning how to use AI is definitely going to be a good stepping point in your career, like it or not.”

Student sentiment on social media: Reddit discussions reveal significant skepticism among the student body.

• “The general consensus among students here is that the ai major is a joke. and so are the bots studying it,” writes one user.
• A sequential art graduate stated: “It’ll be a cold day in hell before they ever push AI. The entire department is extremely against it, no matter how much the administration tries to push it.”

Competitive landscape: SCAD’s move follows similar initiatives at other prestigious art schools.

• ArtCenter College of Design and Rhode Island School of Design both offer AI-integrated classes.
• Ringling College of Art and Design launched an AI certificate program similar to SCAD’s minor last year.
• The trend suggests art education institutions are racing to adapt to AI’s growing presence in creative industries.

The broader concern: Critics worry about “de-skilling” in artistic education and practice.

• “As an artist, you make thousands of micro-decisions while making a piece of art,” Southen explains. “With AI, you give it a few large decisions about what you want, and it makes all those micro-decisions for you.”
• Warburton acknowledges the risk: “I’m worried that we’re not going to have a senior level of talent in the future,” noting that junior designers may not learn essential creative decision-making skills.