RISD president says AI can't replace human creativity

Crystal Williams, president of the Rhode Island School of Design, said this week that artificial intelligence will never replace the human capacity to imagine and create, calling art and design "fundamental to defining our humanity."

The remarks, made during a Korea visit aimed at strengthening ties with RISD's Korean alumni and roughly 150 enrolled Korean students, echo concerns shared by educators and working artists in Orange County's Korean-American creative community as AI tools spread through schools and studios.

Williams told the Korea Times that AI, despite its expanding role in creative workflows, falls short of genuine artistic expression. "AI can only produce a facsimile, while the human capacity to imagine, dream and create remains irreplaceable," she said.

The RISD president, whose school was founded in 1877, rejected the idea that artists should feel threatened by the technology. "Many artists and designers are already using AI in novel ways to support their work, and these developments point to a promising future for art and design," she said, according to the Korea Times.

Williams framed her Seoul trip as an investment in cross-Pacific relationships. "This visit is about connection — deepening relationships with our Korean community and learning from a country that is a global leader in design, technology and culture," she said.

A centerpiece of RISD's Korean engagement is its ongoing collaboration with Hyundai Motor Group. The two institutions have worked together through the Regeneration Studio, a biodesign initiative focused on global environmental and social challenges. "Our partnership with Hyundai Motor Group has shown what becomes possible when higher education and industry come together in a spirit of shared curiosity and long-term relationship-building," Williams said.

She described RISD's more than 33,000 alumni as a force for global good. "Many of our alumni are actively engaged in addressing global challenges, including climate change, social inequality and emerging technologies," she said.

"Through their work, artists and designers help us consider dynamic viewpoints, influence how we think or feel, and move us toward societal transformation," Williams said — a reminder, she suggested, that creative education remains a human endeavor no algorithm can replicate.