By Jacqueline Zuniga

As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes more present across different majors, students in art, journalism and English share similar thoughts about how it will affect creativity. While some may see AI as a helpful tool for brainstorming or drafting, some think it could weaken the originality of people’s creativity. On April 10, Journalism Professor Yumi Wilson at San Francisco State University led a discussion at Humboldt’s 2026 Media Day where local high school students could learn from fellow journalists about the field. Wilson explained how she sees AI used in her daily life and work, and that it should be utilized rather than ignored. “AI is being used, whether we talk about it or not,” Wilson said. “We need to talk about it… and maybe even set guardrails in place.” 

Rather than replacing core reporting skills journalists have, AI is being used as a tool in the newsroom. Wilson explained that journalists can use AI to help generate story ideas, proofread drafts and analyze information they have gathered. But, she does emphasize that it shouldn’t be replacing core skills journalists have. She emphasizes that journalists still have to use AI responsibly and not allow it to do all the work. 

“I think we need to be open about the usage, and maybe even set guardrails in place,” Wilson said.

Wilson thinks that the process of using AI tools is like being in a newsroom. You’re not working alone, you’re getting help from editors, photographers and others to help improve your story. They provide feedback and fix errors they might see. She made the argument that AI could help support some of those processes. 

“If we could think about AI tools doing some of that work, but not replacing what we do, might it be a good application?” Wilson said.

 

The conversation and concern surrounding AI impacts many fields. Another area where AI usage is heavily debated is within the arts. Adrian Conner, a studio arts major, feels that because AI isn’t part of their coursework at Humboldt, it hasn’t had an impact on their education or artistic practice. He feels that art students’ work is more physical and requires hands-on activities, whereas AI is all digital. Within that, Conner worries about people using AI for creative work.

“Art, for me, is the human mind and the human experience, and if you’re using a chatbot to come up with ideas for you, maybe your ideas aren’t good enough to be shared,” Conner said.

Some art students see AI as a tool that must be used carefully.

Studio arts major Jennifer Flores said that AI can be helpful in certain situations, but it can’t replace human work. Flores added that while AI may continue to grow and have its useful moments, it cannot replace the value of human expression. The AI conversation continues to impact a wide range of students and fields, with varying stances. Junior English major Riley Torres feels that AI can actually hurt people’s writing creativity and voice. 

“It may reduce a person’s creativity and make them rely on technology instead of developing their own ideas and voice over time,” Torres said. 

Fellow English major Nathan Casey shared his  perspective on AI. He acknowledges that there are risks when it comes to using AI for writing, but he also sees the potential in using tools to help generate ideas. He still thinks students should be responsible for what they write and not let AI do all the work. 

“AI can help students explore ideas more easily, but it’s often used inappropriately,” Casey said. “If you give all your writing to AI, you’re not improving — and you won’t get better.”

. 

Jacqueline is a journalism major, a news manager for KRFH and she aspires to be a sports journalist one day.