From Talos to ChatGPT: teaching AI through transmedia storytelling

This personal reflection describes the integration of generative AI (GenAI) in courses in interactive media through a pedagogical lens heavily focused on combining experiential learning, critical analysis, and creative exploration. Drawing from my experience working in the video games industry, I detail a four-pronged approach I’ve developed to promote AI literacy in my classes. This model includes the introduction of foundational concepts related to AI, the exploration of real-world case studies, hands-on projects, and the ethics and critical issues related to the proliferation and use of GenAI. A case study on a final group project focused on creating a transmedia story world is described, whereby students collaborated and used GenAI tools to create these multi-platform concepts. These activities demonstrated how human creativity, and computational creation can lead to new aesthetic, genre, and narrative possibilities. Reflecting on broader cultural and historical contexts, from Greek mythology to contemporary media like Black Mirror and Detroit: Become Human, this essay positions AI literacy as a necessary component of media education today. Educators must keep pace with technological change and work with students to critically and creatively navigate the evolving landscape of GenAI and the rise of agentic and artificial co-intelligence.