A.I. and Plurals, the open generation

AI and Plurals: Generation Z rethinks the relationship between creativity and Artificial Intelligence

Led by nine artists, about 200 students from the European Institute of Design in Rome turned Artificial Intelligence into a tool for critique and experimentation, presenting the results of eight immersive workshops in an impromptu exhibition.

The event explored the cultural implications of AI through installations, performances, and visual elaborations, addressing issues such as deepfake, digital loneliness, bias in recognition systems, synthetic identities, and the redefinition of collective rituals.

Artificial Intelligence is still an evolving territory, a raw material that Generation Z is experimenting with to redefine aesthetics, narratives and creative possibilities. But without conscious direction, AI remains a dull entity, and risks perpetuating old biases. During IED Factory 2025, the workshop-event of the European Institute of Design in Rome, 200 students worked with 9 international artists and professionals to explore the role AI takes in the artistic and creative process.

From the exploration of digital solitude, to the creation of a virtual pop star, to the reworking of sacred rituals and the production of deepfakes, the workshops questioned the limits and potential of technology. The event, culminating on Feb. 28 with an exhibition open to the public, revealed the tensions between human and artificial, the need for a new visual and aural language, and the role of AI as a critical and experimental tool. IED Factory 2025 demonstrated that Generation Z is not passive in the face of emerging technologies, but seeks to master their language, turning their imperfections into new aesthetics and their predictive abilities into creative matter.