Summer Springboard
AI Design & Media
IN BERKELEY
UNLOCK EXPLORE HOW HUMAN CREATIVITY DRIVES INNOVATION IN DESIGN AND MEDIA THROUGH THE USE OF AI TECHNOLOGY.
THIS IS A TWO-WEEK PROGRAM WHERE YOU’LL FOCUS ON ONE COURSE FOR THE ENTIRE DURATION.
AI Design & Media in Berkeley
- Trace the evolution of generative art to deep learning AI and begin creating your own designs using emerging technologies.
- Explore how AI transforms content through style transfer, using aesthetic filters to generate unique visual outputs.
- Combine AI tools with traditional digital art techniques, applying them to real-world projects that involve transforming photos, text, and patterns into original artworks.
- Learn prompt writing and master text-to-image generation, understanding the shift toward language-based creative processes.
- Examine AI bias and the artist’s role, developing a critical perspective on collaboration versus curation in AI-assisted art.
- Develop and present a final design project, build a professional portfolio, and explore career pathways through guest speakers, networking, and industry-aligned insights.
Summer Springboard
AI Design & Media
About This Course
The AI Design & Media program in Berkeley introduces high school students to AI-generated art through an exploration of the evolving partnership between human creativity and machine intelligence.
Through daily hands-on practice with text-to-image tools, students will develop their unique artistic voice while learning the full creative workflow, from initial concept to final, polished piece. Working with their own original ideas and imagery, students will engage in a “call and response” process with AI, discovering how machine learning can enhance rather than replace human expression. Alongside technical skills, the course fosters critical thinking about the ethical and cultural implications of AI in art. By the end, students will have begun building a portfolio of original AI artwork and explored emerging career pathways at the intersection of art, technology, and design.
TOPICS YOU'LL EXPLORE
Hands-on Learning
Throughout the course, students will create AI art through a series of real-world projects that build on each other. Transforming photos, textures, patterns, and geomtric designs through the use of neural style transfer to create unique designs. Students will explore using AI text prompts to turn content such as song lyrics, poems, or their own ideas ito images, then learn to combine multiple AI tools and editing software to refine their work. The program will culminate in a final project of their own choosing that will support their own professional design portfolio. Students will then present their final design to their peers in a final showcase.
Career Exploration
Students will connect their new AI art skills to real job opportunities across multiple industries. They’ll explore careers and creative roles that combine art and technology in ways that didn’t exist just a few years ago. Through guest speakers and networking opportunities, students will have the chance to ask working professionals about their daily responsibilities, career paths, and the skills that matter most in their fields. Throughout the program, students will begin to build a portfolio and develop the ability to present their work professionally, helping them begin to articulate both their creative process and the intentional choices behind each piece they create.
RESOURCES
Course Infosheet
Click here to view or download the printable infosheet for this course.
Program Catalog
Click here to request our catalog to learn more about our summer programs and courses.
Campus Page
Click here to view the website page for this campus and learn more.
“It was a great opportunity for me to further explore a potential career path for me while also having a ton of fun. I believe wholeheartedly that this experience transformed me for the better.”
– Skye W. | Alumni Student
Summer Springboard
AI Design & Media
Meet Your Instructor
Courses are taught by accomplished and passionate faculty recruited from many area colleges, universities and professional forums. Each faculty member is selected for their subject area expertise and proven ability to both challenge and captivate students.
Instructor TBA
Summer Springboard
AI Design & Media
Dates & Tuition
| 2026 Dates |
|---|
| Session 1: June 14 – June 26, 2026 |
| Session 3: June 28 – July 10, 2026 |
| Session 5: July 12 – July 24, 2026 |
Click here to enroll in this course using our online enrollment form.
| Tuition |
|---|
| Residential Tuition: $5,998 |
| Commuter Tuition: $3,298 |
Apply by November 30 to lock in the lowest prices of the year. Tuition increases on December 1.
Tuition Protection Plan: Allows for cancellation for any reason up until the day of the program.
| Location |
|---|
| City: Berkeley |
| State: California |
| Campus: Berkeley |
Summer Springboard programs are not run by our campus partners (with the exception of Cal Poly, NYSID and UW Foster which are run in partnership with SSB). Universities and their affiliated departments and partners do not control and are not responsible or liable in any manner for any part of the Summer Springboard program.