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Integrating generative AI in higher art education: a systematic review

SN Computer Science (Springer Nature) · Fang, Z. · Feb 2026

Key points

  1. PRISMA systematic review of 27 studies on generative AI integration in higher art education across visual arts, design and STEAM.
  2. Generative AI consistently supports early-stage creative exploration, enhancing divergent thinking and reducing affective barriers for novice learners.
  3. The review identifies a persistent gap: AI accelerates conceptual generation but offers limited support for execution phases requiring embodied practice.

Summary

This PRISMA systematic review, published in SN Computer Science in February 2026, synthesises 27 studies on generative AI integration in higher art education across visual arts, design and STEAM contexts. The review establishes that generative AI reliably supports early-stage ideation and reduces affective barriers for novice learners, but that a significant gap remains in execution phases that depend on embodied, material or tacit skill. For animation educators, the finding that AI is strong at the front end of creative workflows but weak at the skilled-execution phase maps directly onto studio teaching design decisions.

Source

Source: SN Computer Science (Springer Nature) ↗ (Research)

Cite this item

Fang, Z. (2026). ‘Integrating generative AI in higher art education: a systematic review’, SN Computer Science (Springer Nature). Available at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42979-026-04788-x

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