The presentation introduces a new undergraduate study program titled Art and Artificial Intelligence, established in 2025 at the Academy of Arts in Banská Bystrica. The program focuses on connecting artistic practice, research, and interdisciplinary thinking through the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in both creation and critical reflection. The contribution will reflect on the curricular logic and didactic philosophy of the program as a case study of AI Art in higher art education. Emphasis will be placed on issues of social responsibility, interdisciplinarity, and the ethics of artificial intelligence within artistic and academic contexts. At the core of the curriculum are studio-based courses so called LABs which function as research-creative platforms combining experimentation, technology, ethics, and social engagement. The program is professionally oriented, addressing the need to strengthen the link between academia and real-world practice. A mandatory internship in institutions such as galleries, media studios, or artistic startups is an integral part of the curriculum.
Professor Michal Murin is based at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the Academy of Arts in Banská Bystrica (AU BB), where he has led the Studio of Digital Media since 2005. His teaching activities specialize in the fields of virtual reality, digital art, and artificial intelligence in the context of visual expression. He has supervised over ten PhD students whose research has explored intersections between art and science, the ecological dimensions of digital media, sound art, and technologically oriented art. As a curator, organizer, and initiator, he has played a key role in numerous digital art exhibitions in Slovakia. He served as a member of the international Art and Science competition jury (2016–2018) at Ars Electronica in Linz. Currently, he acts as the guarantor and principal expert authority of the interfaculty study program Art and Artificial Intelligence at the Academy of Arts in Banská Bystrica.
Peter Vítko is a university lecturer and expert in applied informatics, digital media, and new technologies in visual arts. He serves as Vice-Rector for Education, Quality, and Development at the Academy of Arts in Banská Bystrica. At the Faculty of Fine Arts, he teaches several technology-oriented courses that reflect the current needs of digital and interactive art. These include Generative and Interactive Design, GameArt, Microcontrollers, Sensors, and Actuators, Videomapping, 3D Animation, and others. He is the co-author of the Art and Artificial Intelligence study program at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Academy of Arts in Banská Bystrica.
