Critical AI for Creatives

Presentation

Artificial intelligence is redefining the conditions of creative practice, from working methods to business models. The Critical AI for Creatives module helps designers and creative professionals understand what AI is, how it works and how it is reshaping their industries. The emphasis is on practice: positioning themselves in relation to AI, building it into their methods and developing how they work, while keeping a distinct identity.

The course covers ethical and legal questions, such as copyright, along with strategy, including how to price work made with AI. Then comes concrete application: designing prompts, generating images, text and video, and building workflows suited to their own practice.

Over five weeks and in a hybrid format, it gives access to practitioners who have used AI in their own projects for several years. By the end of the module, participants come away with an informed point of view on AI, a real command of what is at stake for their own practice, and the confidence to integrate it into their work while asserting their voice.

Language: English
Qualification issued: Certificate
Fees: CHF 1 200.-, Alumni EXECAL CHF 1000.-
Credits: 2 ECTS
Length: 4h for 5 weeks, Wednesday afternoon 1:30pm - 5:30pm
Registration deadline: 25.10.2026
Dates of courses: 11, 18, 25 novembre, 2 et 9 décembre 2026
Useful links: Admissions, Contact
Course format: Hybrid teaching (real-time online and on site at ECAL)

Learning Objectives

We give you the keys to

Understand the current state of AI its mechanisms, limitations, and evolution within creative industries.
Position your practice within the AI landscape, defining a clear stance as a designer or creative professional.
Critically engage with AI systems, including their ethical, legal, and cultural implications.
Integrate AI into your workflows through practical methods adapted to your discipline and context.
Develop a coherent creative approach that maintains authorship and identity in AI-assisted work.
Design and implement AI-driven tools tailored to your own practice.

Course program

This section presents the courses detailed by week.

Week I

Understanding AI in the field of design

History and key concepts of AI
Ethics & responsibilities
Legal and intellectual property

Week II

Challenging your processes with AI

Integrating AI into creative processes
A foundation for co-creation with AI
Developing tools to optimise your processes

Week III

Positioning Your Creative Practice

Presentations on inspiring creative practices
Defining your business with AI

Week IV

Creating with AI: Tools and Methodologies I

Media creation projects using AI
Understanding the main categories of AI tools
An introduction to distribution models

Week V

Creating with AI: Tools and Methodologies II

Building a simple workflow
Connecting LLMs to external tools
An introduction to agent-based workflows

Team

Head of the program: Daphna Glaubert
Lecturer: Sylvain Aerni
Raphaël Antonietti
Alexis Foucault
Darja Gartner
Gaël Hugo
Clément Jaton
Matthieu Minguet
Tom-Jacques Perret
Pascal Wicht
Credits: Graphic & motion design : Jamy Herrmann

Courses & researchCertificate of Advanced StudiesShort courses

Critical AI for Creatives

Presentation

Learning Objectives

​​​​​​Understand the current state of AI its mechanisms, limitations, and evolution within creative industries.

Position your practice within the AI landscape, defining a clear stance as a designer or creative professional.

Critically engage with AI systems, including their ethical, legal, and cultural implications.

Integrate AI into your workflows through practical methods adapted to your discipline and context.

Develop a coherent creative approach that maintains authorship and identity in AI-assisted work.

Design and implement AI-driven tools tailored to your own practice.