New open online course gives creative professionals a head start in using AI
The course aims to deepen understanding of how generative AI influences creative work and creative sectors more broadly. It offers tools that professionals across creative fields will need today and in the future – whether AI becomes a competitor, a collaborator, or a source of inspiration. The course explores how AI can support writing, illustration, video production, composing, game development, and more – not as distant visions, but as practical tools already available. Ethical questions are also considered throughout.
AI expands the boundaries of creative work – it doesn’t replace the creator
“Recent years have shown that AI has advanced at an incredible pace, taking over tasks previously considered exclusive to creative professionals. AI can now produce photorealistic images, astonishing illustrations, radio-quality music, and surprisingly strong written concepts. It hasn’t replaced humans yet, but month by month, the output keeps improving”, says researcher Markus Sjöberg from Tampere University’s Pori unit, who developed the course.
According to Sjöberg, AI can serve as a resource that enables a single person to complete every step of game production or run an advertising agency largely on their own.
“On the other hand, it may take away the most enjoyable parts of creative work. Drawing, scriptwriting, and composing are often the very reasons people pursue creative careers. Who would want their passion to be automated? Still, creative professionals must understand what kind of transformation is happening”, Sjöberg explains.
The course guides participants from the basics of generative AI to practical applications. Examples include language models (such as ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini), image and video models (such as DALL-E, Midjourney, and Flux), and music-generating models.
The course does more than offer technical instructions: it encourages learners to think critically about copyright, environmental impacts, and what ultimately keeps creative work human.
Correcting misconceptions
The course also clears up common misunderstandings related to AI. For example, AI “training” is widely discussed, yet the process itself is often poorly understood. According to Sjöberg, a persistent misconception is that tools such as large language models or image generators can analyze large datasets.
“Language models generally aren’t very useful for systematic content analysis or searching for connections. Even though generative models are initially trained on massive datasets, they don’t actually process or analyze large data masses once they are being used by the end user”, he clarifies.
During training, models learn statistical patterns and structures from data. Once deployed, however, they do not continue learning from user input, nor do they constantly update their knowledge.
Still, language models make excellent creative collaborators: they can generate ideas, tell jokes, write fictional text, or take on different roles.
The online course contains five study modules
Worth approximately five ECTS credits, the course consists of the following modules:
• Creativity and AI
• The technical foundations of generative AI
• Language models in creative work
• Image, audio, and video models in creative work
• Ethical and professional issues of AI in creative industries
Created by four higher education institutions
The course has been produced as part of the nationwide LuovAIn! project, coordinated by the Turku School of Economics, Pori unit. Partner institutions include the University of Oulu, Tampere University, and LAB University of Applied Sciences, with course design led by Tampere University’s Pori unit.
The goal of LuovAIn! is to strengthen AI expertise within creative and cultural sectors, support the adoption of new tools, and promote innovation and business development.