Shelly Shen ‘26
Oct 10, 2025
Artificial intelligence is reshaping many aspects of daily life,
most certainly in education, including how students and
teachers approach creativity in the classroom. Currently,
one of the most controversial topics is its application and relevance
in art.
In response to recent implications of AI in visual arts classes
at Mercersburg Academy, Arts Department Head Kristen Pixler
says, “Mercersburg is taking a proactive stance on AI,” noting
“The school and faculty are engaging in AI training through our
partnership with UPenn’s Graduate Studies in Education.” While
she recognizes the potential of AI as a creative tool, as an arts
teacher Pixler emphasizes the importance of maintaining human
intentionality and supervision. “It is critical that we remember to
use the workflow: human, AI, human. It needs to start with us and
end with us,” she stressed.
Pixler acknowledges that as new AI technologies continue to
advance, AI can increase the speed of demand and expectation
for artistic production, but not without trade-offs. “As an artist and
educator, every technology has created a greater workload,” she
says. “With efficiency comes higher expectations of creation, speed
of turnaround, and less iteration. I worry about the impact that this
will have on our ability to think deeply and innovate to create future
masterworks.”
Sydney Caretti, Director of Galleries, offers a complementary but
more philosophical perspective on the nature of artwork as opposed
to the commercial aspect. “Everything builds on that which came
before them—what we know informs who we are and how we
express ourselves,” she stated. “AI fakes the heart, mind and soul
and therefore lacks the personal lived experience and perspective
that [people] seek to better understand, appreciate, and connect
closer through the universal language of art.”
On the broader question of what society defines as art in the age
of AI, Caretti reflected, “It’s an age-old question that is subjected to
the interpreter, viewer, creator, and/or marketplace.” She addressed
the effect by comparing this shift to “the changes which [people]
identify as movements in art history -Rococo, Classical, Mannerism,
impressionism, Fauvism, Futurism—all rebelling against [their]
predecessor[s].” AI is part of that ongoing evolution.
Addressing AI’s potential in illustration, design, and photography,
Pixler predicts that “the commercial arts will become more
competitive to get into the top tier,” substantially impacting working
artists. She provides an example in which “companies like Adobe
are trying to move through this ethically and support the humans
creating the work.”
While both arts educators agree that AI’s rise marks a pivotal shift,
people, from students to artists, must learn to navigate and utilize
AI thoughtfully. Pixler asks that “each person think critically about
how they are feeding the AI engine and stand strongly as the human
in the room,” and Caretti adds that it is essential to “value originality
and the human condition over generated images.” Ultimately,
both concluded that while AI can mimic art or build from existing
databases, it cannot replicate the unique human expression—from
the heart, the mind, and the soul—that gives art meaning and
existence.