AI and Newhouse: Innovation in Action

AI in Higher Education

The fields of media, entertainment and strategic communications are constantly evolving due to advances in technology. Artificial intelligence is the latest tool that has the ability to change how we communicate and the ways we go about creating content.

At the Newhouse School, we recognize the growing importance of AI in higher education and its potential to revolutionize learning experiences. Here are just a few of the ways Newhouse is leading the way in teaching and incorporating AI into the practice and research of communications fields. 

AI in the Classroom

We’re incorporating artificial intelligence and emerging technologies into the curriculum and introducing AI tools to provide hands-on learning opportunities. Our approach focuses on enhancing student engagement through AI integration in classrooms and preparing students for the evolving generative AI market and industry.

AI Research and Creative Activity

Members of our world-class faculty are exploring all aspects of AI and emerging media so that our students are prepared to use and incorporate these powerful tools responsibly in their respective fields once they graduate.  We’re committed to exploring the benefits of generative AI and synthetic media while also addressing AI fears and ethical concerns.

AI Innovation

Our faculty conduct research into AI and topics like combating misinformation and disinformation. This type of scholarship can have real-world impact on newsrooms, journalism schools and the public at large, contributing to improved media literacy and strategic communication practices.

Students across academic disciplines at Newhouse are learning about the fundamentals of generative AI and synthetic media, focusing on practical strategies and tactics for all media industries. 

Students are exploring generative AI tools to foster creative thinking and stimulate academic curiosity and innovation. Their work pertains to media business, media content and other related disciplines, including:

Hands-on experience with AI-generated content helps students understand both the benefits of this powerful technology and its potential pitfalls. Some of these issues were explored in the “Infodemic” reporting project, which involved more than 100 student journalists. The project investigated sources and effects of disinformation that have undermined trust in communities and democracy overall, and explored ways to combat disinformation.

Newhouse Courses Involving AI:

Specialty courses that offer a deeper dive into artificial intelligence and its use in media are developed each semester. Some current or recent Newhouse course offerings focused on AI include:  

• CIN 510 Future Cinema: Generative AI Filmmaking
• MMI 400/680 Topics in Advanced Media Management (This class explores topics such as generative AI and synthetic media.)  
• MMI 634: Trendspotting in Digital Media
• PRL 320/620: Digital and Social Media Innovation for Public Relations

Students work with AI and immersive storytelling technologies across fields of study, such as advertising students creating award-winning campaigns and journalism and visual communications majors working on immersive media environments.

Newhouse Advanced and Emerging Media Lab

As AI is further integrated into the classroom, Newhouse will feature how student learning and industry application come together in the Newhouse Advanced and Emerging Media Lab. This multidisciplinary research center and community brings together subject matter experts from academia, industry and government entities, allowing students the opportunity to work collaboratively on AI-driven solutions. Devoted to shaping the future of technology, media and entertainment, the Newhouse Advanced and Emerging Media Lab is a shared teaching and practical environment. 

Newhouse faculty are at the forefront of developing AI-driven solutions for communications research and industry practice. The work encompasses various aspects of AI, including natural language processing, data analysis, synthetic media and AI personalization.

Our talented faculty and staff are working on projects like:

• Developing of text prompt engineering using diffusion image generators
• Tapping into AI to analyze data sets
• Working with a leader in the consumer good industry to create powerful strategic communications tools.

These types of projects provide engaging opportunities for Newhouse students to work with faculty on cutting-edge research efforts in communications.

Emerging Technologies Fellows

Each year, the Newhouse School selects “Emerging Technologies Fellows” from its faculty ranks to help encourage research and project development, as well as engagement with industry that can provide noteworthy opportunities for our students to meet and learn from leaders in the field.

Newhouse Impact Summit

Activities are spotlighted through the Newhouse Impact Summit, an annual event each summer that gathers media and communications scholars and practitioners to engage in discussions and exchange ideas about trends and developments in AI.

In support of the summit, the school publishes the Newhouse Impact Journal, a vibrant examination of the most transformative aspects of the communications industry. Unveiling the forefront of innovative technologies, trends, strategies and challenges, the journal explores the evolving landscape of connecting and conveying information.  

Newhouse Impact Podcast

The Newhouse Impact Podcast showcases the research and creative work of faculty, staff and students. Episodes frequently focus on AI and emerging technologies. Explore our podcast content.

• How concerned should you be about AI-generated content in media and communications?
• Extended Reality: What are we seeing in immersive media and what is it doing to us?
• How AI is manipulating media: benefits, threats & truth-seeking in AI
• AI: Tools, Not A Takeover

Through a $1.8 million DARPA-funded project, the Newhouse School—in collaboration with PAR Government Systems— uses various AI areas in research. This includes:

• Synthetic Media Generation, in which Newhouse has developed capabilities for creating controlled datasets using text, image, audio and video, assessing algorithms for detecting, attributing and characterizing synthetic content.  
• Threat Vector Analytics, a program that focuses on developing and evaluating detection analytics for high-priority threat vectors, including synthetic personas, manipulated news articles, directed propaganda in social media, hybrid image manipulation, synthetic audio voice generation, socially engineered phishing attacks, and addressing model bias in image and language model generators.  

Resources for Newhouse Faculty and Staff to Support Students

In an environment where student success is our top priority, the Newhouse School is helping faculty and staff incorporate AI tools into their daily practices. 

Newhouse is working to ensure that the future of generative AI in communications will be central to the student experience for generations to come. By addressing AI ethics in education and exploring the AI impact on learning, we’re preparing our students to navigate the complex landscape of AI in their future careers.