The top media and communications university in China has told creatives “no need to panic” after merging its photography major into a broader film and television degree, citing the disruptive impact of AI as the catalyst.
Liao Xiangzhong, the president of the state-run Communications University of China (CUC), made the comment during an interview with Beijing News earlier this week, explaining that some specializations no longer “need to exist as separate majors,” as advancements in AI have made them redundant.
On paper, Liao’s vision for a future where creative studies are aligned with AI and shifting industry demands seems like the right move. It’s always been hard enough to make a living from something like photography, and with AI eating away at opportunities, it’s only going to become harder.
But telling all the budding photographers who were set on honing their craft at the prestigious CUC’s no-longer-existing major not to worry surely has only made them frustrated.
Liao’s decision to fold the program is another sign that creatives the world over are being pushed into a corner they really don’t want to be in. It’s a corner where people’s real passions and talents are stripped as they’re forced into working in line with the technology that is, bit by bit, destroying their professional aspirations.
During the interview, Liao opined that with AI on the block, photography no longer requires aesthetic and composition training nor practical experience. Surely this will only fuel the fires of frustration as, regardless of who or what creates an image, it’s only a good image if it demonstrates core photographic principles, which Liao has now disregarded.
But it won’t be just photographers feeling this way as, along with its photography major, CUC has merged or axed 15 other courses which it now deems defunct thanks to AI.
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