Upskilling Creatives: Meeting the New Challenges of Bringing AI to Non-IT sectors

Upskilling Creatives: Meeting the New Challenges of Bringing AI to Non-IT sectors (2024-2025)
The Upskilling Creatives project is co-funded by the Cyprus University of Technology (Internal Interdisciplinary Research Programme) and CYENS (EdMedia research group, extension of the Cyprus Interaction Lab). It brings together multi-disciplinary expertise from the fields of Generative AI, the Applied Arts, and Instructional Design. The project is targeting students and recent graduates in the areas of Design and Applied Arts who wish to incorporate aspects of Generative AI in their practice. We aim to generate knowledge on upskilling and meeting the new challenges of bringing Generative AI to non-IT sectors. The project revolves around key concerns, which require a multi-disciplinary approach by nature: What are the needs of learners coming from Creative backgrounds in terms of gaining knowledge and competencies related to the ever-evolving field of Generative AI? What is the most suitable pedagogical model and tools for successfully achieving this goal?

Funded: Internal Interdisciplinary Research Programme (IRP), Cyprus University of Technology, co-funded by CYENS 

Duration: 12 months (2024 – 2025)

Budget: 20 000

Academics:

Andri Ioannou, Professor, Department of Multimedia and Graphic Arts

Sotirios Chatzis, Associate Professor, Department of Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering and Informatics

Omiros Panayides, Assistant Professor, Department of Multimedia and Graphic Arts

Eva Korae, Assistant Professor, Department of Multimedia and Graphic Arts

Major Researchers:

Sonia Andreou, Postdoc researcher, CYENS & Cyprus Interaction Lab, Lead Researcher on IRP

Research Assistant:

Giorgos Nikolaou, PhD candidate, Cyprus University of Technology, Researcher on IRP

Contributors/Module Designers & Trainers: 

Yana Klimava – Exploring Generative AI in the Context of Design and Creativity

Giorgos Nikolaou – Introduction to Diffusion-Based Generative Models

Alexia Achilleos – Critical Perspectives on Generative AI for Creatives Power, Culture, and Local Context

Simos Retalis – Crafting Creativity: Mastering Prompt Writing with Gen-AI Tools

Tim Neumann – AI-Powered UI Design: From Sketch to Interface with Advanced Tools

Ioanna Kyriakidou / Christos Chiotis – Generative AI as applied in the field of Design and Applied Arts: The Legal Perspective