Chinese University Cuts Arts Majors, Citing an AI-Driven Future

Decision and rationale

Beijing’s Communication University of China (中国传媒大学) announced last year that it would discontinue five undergraduate arts majors — photography, comics, visual communication design, new media art, and fashion design — and replace them with programs such as “intelligent imaging art” and “intelligent audiovisual engineering.” The university’s top official and Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference member Liao Xiangzhong said the move reflects an era of “human–machine cooperation,” adding that some traditional courses, like translation, have been “largely replaced by AI.” It has been reported that a short video of Liao’s remarks during the Two Sessions meetings climbed into the top five trending topics on Weibo, fueling the debate.

Campus reaction

Students and faculty offered mixed responses. Some called the change abrupt; others said it was foreseeable as AI tools have been introduced in classrooms since at least 2022. “For me, using AI is simply switching to another creative medium or tool,” one affected undergraduate told Sixth Tone. But critics asked: is a discipline dead when its tools become widely available, or should the curriculum adapt while preserving the core theory and practice? The university, Liao said, has merged several programs into broader disciplines and introduced rules to curb overreliance on AI, though he did not specify the measures.

Broader trend and policy context

The Communication University of China’s restructuring is part of a wider shift in Chinese higher education. Jilin University (吉林大学), East China Normal University (华东师范大学), and Nanchang University (南昌大学) have also moved to close or merge arts majors, and a national three‑year university reform plan launched in 2025 aims to expand AI, science, and data-related programs. Some art schools are integrating AI rather than abandoning arts: Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts set up China’s first School of Artificial Intelligence Art in 2024, and the China Academy of Art (中国美术学院) launched a professional doctoral track in Artificial Intelligence and Digital Art Design in 2025.

What it signals

The debate over these cuts reflects a broader unease: how should universities balance vocational demand, national tech priorities, and artistic training? Beijing’s push to scale domestic AI capacity — amid global competition over advanced technologies — makes retooling curricula politically sensible. But many educators argue the problems new tools bring should be solved inside disciplines, not by eliminating them. Reportedly, that tension will only grow as AI capabilities continue to reshape creative fields.