Will “AI generation” replace human design jobs? Find the answer at this “creative living room” on Dingxi Road
On June 27, the "Shanghai Silicon Alley" Maker Space was officially opened in Huayang Road Street, Changning District. It is a full-chain innovation and entrepreneurship platform that integrates science and technology talent service station, capital and technology connection point, industrial ecological collaborative "hub", comprehensive service supply area and other functions. It will attract various industry associations, industrial alliances, provincial and municipal chambers of commerce and other platforms and institutions to settle in, play a radiating and driving role, and provide value-added services for enterprises and scientific and technological innovation teams in "Shanghai Silicon Alley".
The SeekerLab digital service laboratory established by Huayang Road Subdistrict and the School of Fashion and Art Design of Donghua University was put into use at the same time, and various fashion science and technology practices and digital art creation displays will be carried out. The opening exhibition with the theme of "Magic Silicon Comes to SeekerLab" showcased AIGC works and digital art experiences for the general public and professional audiences through maker sharing areas, AI new work series displays, and "Silicon Alley Science and Technology Innovation Chain" installations.
When fashion creativity meets artificial intelligence and digital technology, what impact will “AI generation” have on “human creativity”?
Two years ago, Changning District started to build the "Shanghai Silicon Alley" science and technology innovation district, creating a new industry growth pole and innovation source in the high-density district surrounded by Yuyuan Road, Wuyi Road, Dingxi Road, Changning Road, etc. As the main bearing area of "Shanghai Silicon Alley", Huayang Road Subdistrict has focused on high-quality development in recent years, promoting the transformation of "Shanghai Silicon Alley" from "building a framework" to "strengthening functions".
The newly opened "Shanghai Silicon Alley" maker space is located at No. 1525 Dingxi Road. Compared with the physical space that is quiet in the bustling city, the more important function here is to provide platform guidance, promote industrial chain investment promotion and upstream and downstream business gathering, and make "Silicon Alley" a new highland for industrial agglomeration.
To this end, Huayang Road Sub-district has joined hands with Huatai Innovation and Xinwei Technology Group to create a high-quality incubator; jointly established a digital service laboratory with Donghua University to provide experimental display space and communication platform for dual innovation talents; continued to carry out "Silicon Alley Breakfast Meeting", investment salons and other activities to create a good innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem; provided financial and legal value-added services to "Silicon Alley" small and medium-sized innovative enterprises and scientific and technological innovation teams to upgrade resource allocation capabilities.
Among these, strengthening school-local cooperation is an important way to give full play to the disciplinary advantages of universities and serve the high-quality development of "Silicon Alley".
Wu Liang, a professor at the School of Fashion and Art Design of Donghua University, said that from the perspective of locational advantages, the "Shanghai Silicon Alley" Maker Hall is located at the intersection of the "Internet celebrity" block of Yuyuan Road and the "Silicon Alley" science and technology innovation block. The establishment of a digital intelligence service laboratory here will immerse the teaching environment into the real market and public space, and students' research results can be put on the street as soon as possible for the public to "test" and evaluate. "In this way, your research can be truly close to the needs of society and the market, because the most real and challenging market is just 'outside the window'." Wu Liang said.
At present, "AI generation" elements have been widely used in audio and video products, mobile applications, small programs and other scenes that people come into contact with in daily life. Wu Liang said that in the field of creative design, artificial intelligence can effectively help designers collect materials and inspire design inspiration in the early stage of product development, and can also form richer visual effects through AI rendering and other methods in the final stage of the project. But will artificial intelligence really replace designers?
"Magic Silicon Comes to SeekerLab" Opening Exhibition
"Students often ask, is it still necessary to study design now when AI technology is evolving so quickly?" Wu Liang said that the "sense of crisis" brought about by AI is not a bad thing, as it can make people think about whether their previous working methods are right or wrong, and whether they are really efficient. "In the final analysis, we should actively embrace technology, and the rapid iteration of technology is sometimes something that humans cannot refuse... It is most important to understand technology and treat it as a partner and tool rather than an enemy."
On the day when the "Shanghai Silicon Alley" Maker Room was put into use, the Donghua University Teaching Internship Base was officially unveiled. It will make good use of the work display space in the Maker Room to promote entrepreneurship, employment, communication and co-creation of outstanding talents.
Wu Liang introduced that at present, in the freshman courses, everyone is encouraged to learn to use artificial intelligence tools, and use AI to discover more types of materials and broaden design ideas. However, in the core creative process, there are still many things that artificial intelligence cannot do. Wu Liang said that when designers formulate design plans, the qualitative and definition of the project must be completed by people, because the project is ultimately for people, not machines.
Chen Sirui, a junior student majoring in visual communication design at Donghua University, also feels the same way. "We have learned to use AIGC to complete course assignments. It can be said that artificial intelligence is not only a tool, but also an important catalyst for promoting productivity. It saves us a lot of operation time and allows designers to spend more energy on thinking about their works and considering the visual effects."
This year's government work report proposed to launch an "artificial intelligence" action. For students who have already felt the huge power of "artificial intelligence design", their understanding of the profession of "designer" is also constantly updated with the development of AI technology. "We are not only providers of creativity, but also integrators of technology and art. In the future, we may become participants and even creators of new productivity." Chen Sirui said.
"Magic Silicon Comes to SeekerLab" Opening Exhibition
Whether it is "artificial intelligence" or "artificial intelligence", it has put forward higher requirements for the supply of compound talents. Wu Liang told reporters that there is still a large gap in compound talents with dual backgrounds of fashion creativity and digital technology. On the one hand, many mature designers in office have begun to actively learn AI technology. On the other hand, although students in the field of digital art have learned "high concentration" of professional knowledge in school, they are far away from the market, and students' understanding of "professional" to "industry" and then to "industry" is not deep enough.
An interesting phenomenon is that many students from the School of Fashion and Art Design of Donghua University previously found jobs in advertising companies, fashion brands, and the media industry after graduation. But now, graduates are going to a variety of fields, including manufacturing, service, and professional research and development institutions. "It is a good phenomenon that the employment field is becoming more and more diversified, indicating that more and more industries are aware of the importance of design talents and the scarcity of compound talents," said Wu Liang.
The reporter noticed that the "Shanghai Silicon Alley" entrepreneurship living room is equipped with functional spaces such as a comprehensive service supply area, a shared office area, and a multi-functional conference room, where start-ups and talents can "move in with their bags". On the day the entrepreneurship living room was opened, three units including Puyue Fund, Donghua University School of Fashion and Art Design, and Shanghai Weineng Education Technology Co., Ltd. received the keys to move in.
In addition, the Yangtze River Delta Science and Technology Innovation Finance Alliance "Shanghai Silicon Alley" Service Station, the China Small and Medium Enterprises Association Shanghai Representative Office "Shanghai Silicon Alley" Service Station, the Shanghai Blockchain Technology Association "Shanghai Silicon Alley" Work Station, and the Shanghai Jiangxi Chamber of Commerce Gan Merchants Living Room, four institutions were officially established, which will further integrate the "Silicon Alley" resources and give full play to the platform aggregation function of the innovation living room. The "Shanghai Silicon Alley" Home for Overseas Students and the Shanghai New Social Class Science and Technology Innovation Service Group "Shanghai Silicon Alley" Work Station were established simultaneously. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Sustainable City and Community Practice Demonstration Base was unveiled at the same time. Huayang Road Street will fully integrate community resources and use the innovative achievements of technologies such as the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence to promote smarter neighborhoods and more sustainable development.
