REIMAGINING MULTIMEDIA EDUCATION IN THE AGE OF GENERATIVE AI: BEYOND SOFTWARE PROFICIENCY

Abstract

The rapid adoption of generative artificial intelligence prompted universities to reconsider its place within multimedia education. This paper argues that the principal challenge is not the inclusion of AI as another software application but the continued reliance on a software-centred model of professional education. Drawing on developments in AI-assisted creative production, industry and labour-market evidence, and contemporary educational theory, it examines how generative AI is reshaping creative work and the expertise expected of media professionals. The discussion draws on Biesta’s conception of education as the development of agency and judgement, and Wenger’s account of learning through communities of practice, to argue that multimedia education should move beyond technical qualification towards broader professional formation. The paper further argues that recent reforms in Indian higher education, particularly Outcome-Based Education under the National Education Policy 2020, offer an opportunity to reorganise multimedia curricula around critical judgement, collaborative practice, and reflective engagement with emerging technologies, rather than software proficiency alone.