3.12. Dr. Larry Thompson, President, and Rick Dakan, Professor of Creative Writing and Chair of the AI Task Force - Ringling College of Art and Design

Dr. JP Novin welcomes Dr. Larry Thompson and Rick Dakan, who elaborate on Ringling College of Art and Design’s proactive approach to AI—including their AI task force, undergraduate AI certificate program, and annual AI symposium. They emphasize that AI serves as a tool to enhance human creativity and discernment. Dr. Thompson and Rick Dakan also discuss AI’s impact on the entertainment industry, the need for students to become lifelong learners, and the ongoing legal and ethical challenges surrounding AI in art and design. They conclude that AI will require shifts in educational curricula, administrative practices, and marketing strategies—highlighting creativity and human connection as indispensable in the evolving "creative age."