Explore the fusion of technology and art

Artificial Intelligence and Art (AI & Art) Summer Institute

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AI & Art Summer Institute is a pre-college program for high school students exploring the possibilities and social impacts of making art with AI software. Led by software artists Lauren McCarthy and Casey Reas, AI & Art is housed with UCLA Art’s Social Software Lab. Social Software creates art that explores the role of software in culture. We’re interested in people and the ways that technology brings us together.

This institute explores questions such as:

  • What is the potential of AI within the visual arts?

  • Why would I want (or need) to work with AI?

  • What are the power relationships, inequities, and biases embedded within AI technology?

In this class, students will harness the power of artificial intelligence to push the boundaries of artistic creation:

  • Work with cutting-edge generative AI

  • Develop your unique artistic style using AI assistance

  • Understand the future of digital creation

Students explore the impact of technology on their lives and the world around them, while finding creative ways to engage with software to tell personal and meaningful stories.

The institute is taught by professionally-trained instructors using the most current AI software and technology. The institute culminates in a final exhibition and the creation of portfolio-ready work that students may include in their college applications in related fields.

Harness the power of artificial intelligence to push the boundaries of artistic creation

Program Overview

2026 Program Dates: July 12 – 29

Program Eligibility: 9th-12th grade in Spring 2026*

*All participants must be at least 15 years of age by the first day of Summer Sessions 2026 on June 22. No exceptions allowed.

Application Deadline (Residential): June 30, 2026

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  • The class is composed of short lectures, discussions, workshops, time to work in class, and feedback sessions. No prior programming or machine learning knowledge is required.

    Learning Objectives

    • Integrate AI into your existing creative practice, wherever it fits best (ideation, experimentation, pattern-making, performance, text) 

    • Explore and apply various modalities of AI across a range of media

    • Develop your own unique perspective and criticality towards technology, computation and media

    Class Structure

    • Morning activities: Individual and group warm-up exercises.

    • Presentations: Review history of AI in art, references to artists, theorists and literature.

    • Discussions: Class discussions about work-in-process and idea development for projects.

    • Tutorials: “How-to” and Q&A. 

    • Studio: Individual time to work and 1:1s with instructor and teaching assistant. 

    • Critique: Group sharing, discussion and feedback.

    Assignments

    • This class is built around three exercises and a final project. Each exercise has an in-class workshop and a discussion about your finished exercise on the day that it’s due.

    • The class culminates in a final exhibition and the creation of portfolio-ready work that students may include in their college applications in related fields.

    • Age: Students must be 15 years of age or older by June 22, 2026 and not older than 18 years of age or enrolled full-time in college.

    • Transcript: You will be asked to upload a high school transcript when you begin the Program Application. Please be sure to have a digital copy of your transcript before you begin the application.

    • Prerequisites: There are no course or subject matter prerequisites for these programs. However, students should have a serious interest in the course material–and be motivated to study and work hard.

  • Applications are reviewed and admission to the program is granted on a rolling basis.  Applying at your earliest convenience is highly recommended.

    Enrolling in the AI & Art Summer Institute requires three steps:

    1. Complete the program application and pay the program fee—you'll receive a confirmation email with further instructions.

    2. Register as a UCLA student at and pay the $350 non-refundable fee to receive your University ID (UID).

    3. Create a MyUCLA account using your UID, add your student to the course waitlist, and pay remaining fees through Bruin Bill. After completing all three steps, your student is fully enrolled.

  • 2026 Program Dates: July 12 - July 29 (Session B3)
    Weeks 1 and 2: Monday - Friday
    Week 3: Monday - Wednesday (last check-out Thursday a.m., July 30)

    Artificial Intelligence and Art (AI & Art) Summer Institute is a residential program with supervised housing for all students—including weekends—starting the first Sunday of the program (residential hall check-in and campus orientation day). Students will be able to walk or take a campus bus to and from their residential hall to classes, and breakfast and dinner in a nearby dining hall are also provided every day (including weekends).

    Note: Students will need to bring money for lunch every day, which can be obtained at various campus food courts. Complete details about campus life will be provided through an email welcome packet in June.

  • AI & Art: DESMA 2; 4 units

    Students will receive a Pass/No Pass basis upon completion. See University Credit, Grades and Transcripts for more information about academic credit.

    In order to successfully complete the program, attendance is absolutely required; only absences excused in advance are permitted.

  • What visa should international students apply for?

    Our Summer Institutes now require an I-20 application and an F-1 visa for international students attending in person. After you add yourself to the waitlist for DESMA 2 (during Step 3 of enrollment), you will receive an email from the UCLA Dashew Center for International Students & Scholars with steps to access the Form I-20 portal and complete the application. Please allow 3-4 weeks after submitting the form to receive your approved I-20. Next, please follow the email instructions to set up an appointment with a local U.S. Embassy/Consulate to formally apply for the F-1 visa. Please note you must begin the I-20 process by May 1. For more information, please visit the UCLA Summer Sessions Website.

Fees and Payment Info

The program fee includes the unit fees for the UCLA coursework offered as part of the program and thus varies by UC student status. In addition to the program fee, students are assessed other campus and administrative fees during the summer.

Residential Program Fees

Program fee (includes housing)*
Registration fee
Course and Institutional fees**

$4,400
$350
$1,791

Total Fees

$6,541

Note: International students are subject to an additional $1,025 in health insurance and service fees, applied on top of Course and Institutional fees.

*Refundable until May 15
** Refundable until July 16

Meet the Program Directors

Lauren Lee McCarthy

Lauren Lee McCarthy is an artist examining social relationships in the midst of surveillance, automation, and algorithmic living. She is a Creative Capital Awardee, United States Artists Fellow, LACMA Art+Tech Lab Grantee, and has been awarded fellowships and residencies from Sundance, Eyebeam, MacDowell, Pioneer Works, and Ars Electronica. Her work SOMEONE was awarded the Ars Electronica Golden Nica and the Japan Media Arts Social Impact Award, and her work LAUREN was awarded the IDFA DocLab Award for Immersive Non-Fiction. Lauren’s work has been exhibited internationally, including the Barbican Centre, Haus der elektronischen Künste, SIGGRAPH, Onassis Cultural Center, IDFA DocLab, Science Gallery Dublin, and the Seoul Museum of Art. She is the creator of p5.js, an open source programming language for learning creative expression through code online with over 10 million users worldwide. She expanded on this work from 2015–2021 in her role on the Board of Directors for the Processing Foundation, whose mission is to serve those who have historically not had access to the fields of technology, code, and art in learning software and visual literacy. She holds an MFA from UCLA and a BS Computer Science and BS Art and Design from MIT.

Professor and Co-Director, Social Software

Casey Reas

Professor, Department Vice Chair, and Co-Director Social Software

Casey Reas is an artist and educator who lives in Los Angeles. His software, prints, and installations have been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions at museums and galleries in the United States, Europe, and Asia. His work varies from small works on paper to building-scale software installations, and he balances solo work in the studio with collaborations with architects and musicians. Reas’ work is in a range of private and public collections, including the Centre Pompidou and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. In 2001, Reas collaborated with Ben Fry to initiate Processing, an open source programming language and environment for the visual arts. He holds a masters degree in Media Arts and Sciences from MIT as well as a bachelor’s degree from the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning at the University of Cincinnati.

Your Instructors

All faculty and teaching assistants are practicing artists, computer programmers, and educators affiliated with UCLA Social Software, with extensive experience and expertise in their respective course subjects. Each course will be led by a faculty instructor and teaching assistant, with additional staff to provide support.

Artificial Intelligence and Art (AI & Art) Summer Institute FAQ

  • All class instruction and student work will need to be facilitated through student-acquired equipment. The specifications are listed below. In most cases, these requirements are already met by most desktop or laptop computers students may have. 

    Required materials for participation:

    • Laptop

    • Sketchbook

    Desktop/laptop recommended specifications:

    • CPU: Multicore Intel/AMD processor with 64-bit support or Apple M1

    • Windows 10 or macOS v10+

    • RAM 8GB recommended

    • 20 GB of available hard-disk space or external drive

    Recommended materials:

    • Additional drawing materials

  • This program is intended to be a foundational opportunity for students to learn core principles of working with computers for the visual arts. Students should be comfortable with using computer applications. Experience with coding is not required.

    I already have some experience with coding. Is this institute right for me?

    Yes. This class focuses on exercises with templates that can be modified and adjusted for new learners and that can be extended by people with prior knowledge in this area.

  • The courses are built around exercises and a final project. Each exercise has an in-class workshop and a discussion about your finished exercise on the day that it’s due.

Still have questions?

Contact Program

  • I loved the program … it helped me expand my boundaries and become more confident with different mediums I hadn't experienced before.

    –Alix, Summer Art Institute

  • I can't put it into words what UCLA has done for me. They helped me develop my portfolio, different artistic ideas, and different ways of working with other people. It was one of the best experiences I've ever had.

    –Colby, Summer Sessions

  • I enjoyed every moment of this program. It was an unforgettable experience to talk, laugh, and live with the people I did. Being able to share the same tasks everyday challenged me to see eye to eye with my classmates.

    –Ashley, TeenArch

  • “I loved how we were challenged to think outside the box when creating our designs and receiving our critiques. It really expanded my idea of what architecture can be and how it can interact with the environment around it.”

    –Samuel, TeenArch