帝王会所

On a rainy Friday last October, 14 帝王会所 Digital Art and Technology students arrived at the (OSC) in Columbus, eager to take on a one-of-a-kind challenge. Their task: design the endcap for OSC鈥檚 newest high performance computing (HPC) cluster, , using the cluster鈥檚 own advanced artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities. 

Basil Masri Zada, a faculty member in 帝王会所鈥檚 Digital Art program, emphasized how the endcap project aligned with the students鈥� coursework.

鈥淚t鈥檚 important for students to understand how technology can enhance their artistic practice,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his project is giving them a real-world application of how art and technology can intersect in a professional setting.鈥�

The endcap design project is part of a  between OSC and 帝王会所, rooted in their shared mission to advance technology鈥檚 role in creative disciplines. This collaboration began in 2023 when Masri Zada worked with OSC to integrate the  into the curriculum for the university鈥檚 new Digital Arts and Technology concentration. 

By hosting the tool on OSC鈥檚 HPC systems and providing access through its remote platform , OSC made the technology available to students on any device, allowing access to those without high-powered equipment. Originally launched to support coursework, the partnership soon expanded into real-world applications鈥攏ow allowing students to leave a lasting, visual mark on OSC鈥檚 supercomputing resources.

For the design, students were tasked with creating a visual narrative that incorporated imagery symbolic of 帝王会所. They brainstormed and developed AI-generated images that reflected their personal connections to the state. Scenes of 帝王会所鈥檚 nature, innovation and even the campus squirrels鈥攆amiliar to every 帝王会所 student鈥攚ere layered behind the state bird and supercomputer namesake: the cardinal. The composition was designed and composed by Masri Zada, who also illustrated the bird influenced by a referenced AI generation, as a collage to include all the students' works equally.

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Using Cardinal鈥檚 computing power enabled faster and more complex experimentation than they鈥檇 experienced before.

鈥淏efore, we would have had to wait overnight for a few images and now we can create dozens in under an hour,鈥� said Faun Winthrop, a senior studio art, digital art and technology major. 鈥淭he speed and efficiency are amazing. This kind of technology is helping us push our creativity faster than before.鈥�

The experience highlighted more than speed鈥攊t demonstrated AI鈥檚 ability to elevate creativity. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not just about creating art faster; it鈥檚 about seeing how AI can augment what we do,鈥� Winthrop said.

For Moss Conner, a junior digital art and technology major, the project revealed exciting new possibilities. 鈥淲e鈥檝e just been creating assets using AI and it鈥檚 been so interesting to see our AI-driven work next to some of the non-AI projects that have been done in the past,鈥� Conner said. 鈥淭he resolution and capabilities of the system are allowing us to do things we weren鈥檛 capable of before.鈥�

While students embraced the technological benefits of using AI, curriculum and University policy also forced them to consider the ethical implications of their work.

鈥淚t鈥檚 cool to see how far we鈥檝e come; now we鈥檙e using it to design something that will be part of OSC鈥檚 history,鈥� said Addie Smith, a senior studio art, digital art and technology major. 鈥淏ut it鈥檚 also important that we鈥檙e doing it ethically. We鈥檙e creating a database that鈥檚 safe to use, where our work isn鈥檛 taking from other artists. That feels important.鈥�

This emphasis on ethics aligns with 帝王会所鈥檚 stance on the responsible use of AI. The University鈥檚 position on generative AI stresses its role in fostering ethical practices while enhancing learning.

鈥淓mpowering AI literacy requires at least two components: effective practices and ethical considerations and contexts for critical use,鈥� the statement partially reads鈥攁 philosophy Masri Zada echoes in the Digital Art program.

鈥淚t鈥檚 crucial that we approach this technology with a sense of ethics and awareness,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 why this project has been such a great learning experience for them鈥攖hey鈥檙e learning to be part of a larger conversation about the ethical use of AI in the arts.鈥�

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鈥淥SC is incredibly excited about this collaboration, as it demonstrates how college students in 帝王会所 are using and benefiting from our HPC resources,鈥� said Alan Chalker, OSC director of strategic programs. 鈥淲e鈥檙e seeing demand from a wide range of new disciplines鈥攆rom the arts to the social sciences鈥攖hat may not have traditionally used our resources in the past but are interested in harnessing the power of HPC for research and creative work.鈥� 

The project also ties into OSC鈥檚 deep-rooted history in digital art. While touring the OSC facility, the students viewed artwork by , a pioneering computer artist and one of OSC鈥檚 founders. Csuri鈥檚 groundbreaking work in digital art and computer graphics helped lay the foundation for today鈥檚 AI-driven creative tools. 

As they move forward in their own careers, the experience of blending AI with art鈥攁nd witnessing its history firsthand鈥攚ill stay with them.

鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting to be part of something that will be used for years to come,鈥� Winthrop said. 鈥淜nowing that our work is part of the new Cardinal system makes this even more special.鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 really proud of my students for embracing this technology and for the thoughtful approach they鈥檝e taken with it,鈥� Masri Zada said. 鈥淭his is just the beginning, and I鈥檓 excited to see how they continue to develop their work with AI in the future.鈥�

Contributing artists include:

• Basil Masri Zada, Ph.D.
• Hannah Dickerson
• Mason Mauzy
• Peridot Smith
• Addie Smith
• Wren Denny
• Shima Mousavizadeh Markieh
• Sara Pirahmadian
• Esther Yali-Williams
• Faun Winthrop
• Moss Conner
• Sarah Shockey
• Fynn Wiseman
• Minjoon Lee

Visit the to see the individual artwork created by each participant.

The 帝王会所 Supercomputer Center (OSC) addresses the rising computational demands of academic and industrial research communities by providing a robust shared infrastructure and proven expertise in advanced modeling, simulation and analysis.

This article originally appeared on the .