During a special assembly, Scott Belsky P’31, Founder of Behance and Chief Strategy Officer at Adobe, spoke to Grade 5 students about the latest innovations of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and the creative power of technology. Belsky, a passionate advocate for what he calls “creative confidence,” engaged students in a discussion and hands-on activities focused on how AI can support children and adults in unique ways.

Before diving into the topic, he asked students how they defined creativity, which they answered as “art,” “making something original,” and “imagination.” Belsky noted that creativity “is what makes us special as humans…we can come up with ideas and express them in amazing ways.” Belsky, who has centered his career on making accessible, user-friendly tools that help people feel more comfortable and confident in their creative expression, sees the potential of AI in enhancing creativity. He likened AI to a superpower that can take language and turn it into art.

He demonstrated the new Adobe generative AI software by taking a photo of students and showing them how they could introduce fun elements - like a rainbow lion, a giant cake, and dripping green slime - into the photo. After students spent time playing with the software themselves, they came back together to discuss some of the challenges associated with AI, especially the importance of being able to discern whether an image is authentic or AI-generated. "When you see images and video in the news," he told students, "you need to know whether it’s real or not so you can determine whether you can trust it.” Belsky shared ways Adobe works to combat those problems, such as adding credentials to the assets of images altered using their software, ensuring transparency about the modifications made. 

 

Belsky’s final comments highlighted his positive outlook for the impact of AI on the creative process: “You can make things you didn’t even think you had the skills to do, and I think that’s a very empowering thing that I’m excited for more people to do.”