Artistic Expertise in the Age of AI, 2 ECTS

Schedule:
Webinars via Google Meet:
Saturday 19.9.2026 at 10.00-11.30
Saturday 03.10.2026 at 10.00-11.30
Saturday 24.10.2026 at 10.00-11.30 

Workshops: 
Saturday 31.10.2026 at 10.00-16.00 (Öppna Högskolan, Navigationsskolegränd 2)  
Sunday 1.11.2026 at 10.00-16.00 (Öppna Högskolan, Navigationsskolegränd 2)  

Registration period:
10.6.2026-24.8.2026

Maximum number of participants: 
15

Course fee:
The course is funded by the ESF+project Innovativ kompetens och spets at Kulturbyrån
and is therefore free for its target group.

Target group:
The course is intended primarily for artists from all disciplines and experts in the creative fields in the Åland Islands. We do not require prior technical knowledge, but rather professional curiosity and a willingness to reflect on the artist's role as part of the expert community of the future.

AI is fundamentally reshaping our society — affecting our work, leisure, and even the way we think. The rapid development of language models has integrated technology into many tasks, raising questions about the new role of expertise. We invite artists from various fields to reflect on this transformation.

What is artistic expertise? 
The workshop's starting point is that artistic expertise is a broad competence that cannot be reduced to algorithms. It is not merely about producing a final product, but multidimensional expertise: the ability to synthesize knowledge from various fields, manage physical and emotional processes, and make ethically and aesthetically sound choices.

Workshop Objectives and Content
In this workshop, we critically examine the division of labor between humans and machines in the context of new tools and technologies.

Augmented expertise:
How does AI change authorship?
We will consider whether new technology redefines what is irreplaceable in artistic work.

Mutual development:
How do we collaborate and co-create with AI systems?
How can an artist's critical analysis and human perspective steer technological development in a more human-centered direction?

Teaching and Completion Methods:
The course consists of three webinars and an intensive two-day workshop, aiming to foster dialogue across artistic disciplines and strengthen community.
To receive course credits, participants must have at least 80% attendance and complete the assigned tasks. Upon successful completion of the course, the participant will receive a course certificate.

Course literature:
The course literature will be announced at the beginning of the course.

Course Lecturers: 
Tuomo Rainio (b. 1983) is a Helsinki-based visual artist and doctoral researcher at the Aalto Doctoral Programme in Art, Design and Architecture (ARTS). His artistic practice combines digital photography, video, and programming to explore translations between concepts, codes, and images. Rainio holds a Master of Arts in Photography from Aalto University (2011) and works as a lecturer in art and technology at the University of the Arts Helsinki, Academy of Fine Arts (currently on study leave 2025–2026). His work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions in Finland and internationally since 2005. His research focuses on the creative use of digital technologies, algorithmic and generative art practices, and noise at the intersection of technology, aesthetics, and philosophy.

Petri Juntunen is a doctoral researcher and visual artist, currently living and working in Helsinki. In his research and artistic works, Juntunen explores topics such as social constructs, human-technology interactions, and landscape in its expanded forms. He has participated in several group and solo exhibitions across Europe and Finland, and his works are featured in both private and museum collections. Currently, Juntunen is conducting doctoral research at Aalto University, examining synthetic photography and placehood in his thesis "Photography's Transformation Within Virtual." In addition to his artistic practice and research, Juntunen has served as an MA evaluator, advisor, lecturer, and course designer. He has also worked as a photojournalist, director, and cinematographer, contributing to all major Finnish magazines and advertising agencies, including Image, Suomen Kuvalehti, and HS NYT & Kuukausiliite.