CAVAD hosts lecture about AI and creativity
Riverside, Calif. (Feb. 9, 2026) — In the 2025-26 academic year, the College of Architecture, Visual Arts and Design is hosting a lecture series in which guest speakers cover various topics relating to CAVAD’s creative fields.
The most recent lecture on Jan. 29 focused on the issue of artificial intelligence.
“We wanted an expert to come in and share their perspective of how they think about (artificial intelligence) as a Christian,” said Dirk Dallas, dean of CAVAD. “The world is treating AI as a god, as if it is going to be your savior to all your problems and you’re never going to need to work again. We want to push back against that and put it in its proper context.”
This lecture was given by Dr. Jason Thacker, assistant professor of philosophy and ethics at Boyce College. In his lecture, “Not Like Us: Artificial Intelligence, Creativity, and Human Dignity,” he aimed to differentiate the creativity happening through AI as opposed to humans.
“What does it mean to be human? I think that is one of the key questions we ask in society across the board, no matter the political social issue,” Thacker said.
He brought up a recent controversial AI artist named Solomon Ray.
“This AI generated singer climbed to the top of the Christian charts on Apple Gospel music as well as the top of the charts on the Billboard Christian music, but he does not exist,” Thacker said.
The person behind Ray’s music is Christopher Townsend. He used generative AI tools to build the singer’s voice.
“These phenomena have raised significant questions about the nature and the future of artificial intelligence, particularly questions of authenticity, as well as fundamental understandings of what artificial intelligence is,” Thacker said.
Thacker goes on to state that AI cannot truly be creative because it cannot convey authentic meaning.
“I’m not saying it’s nothing and that it’s valueless,” Thacker said. “I’m saying it is not doing what we do when we create.”
Thacker reminded listeners that humans are unlike any form of creation. He referred to Genesis 1:27 which says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”
“You are a human being,” Thacker said. “You are infinitely valuable. Not because of the things you do but because of who you are.”
One of the main fears regarding AI has long been the concern of job shortages, primarily in creative fields of work.
CBU alumnus Colton Dall (’22) works as the creative director for Christian singer-songwriter Phil Wickham. Although discussion of AI was slimmer during his CBU days, Colton has seen its rise in his industry. He attended Thacker’s lecture in the hopes of receiving clarity regarding his conviction of AI in the workplace.
Following the lecture, Dall said he was inspired by Thacker’s reminder to not simply repeat as creatives but to lean in and aim to do something new.
“If I just continue to iterate off the old idea, I’ll never actually be better than AI,” Dall said.
Kyra Hayden, a graphic design and visual experience senior, also attended the lecture to hear relevant discussion of AI in her field. She appreciated Thacker’s reminder to take advantage of one’s education.
“I like the idea of being in control of your work because rather than relying on quick fixes, or AI to do it, you’re actually learning. You need to know what to do in case all else fails,” Hayden said.
At the end of his lecture, Thacker argued that AI doesn’t create but rather generates and produces. He reminds listeners that their value is not found in what they do or have done. It is found in who they are as image bearers of the almighty God.
“You, amongst the community at CBU, can do something that is big, that may be groundbreaking. If we’re not careful in the age of AI, we can allow our creative gifts to become stagnant,” Thacker said. “The process is part of the point. It’s not just about what you produce at the end, it’s about what you learn along the way and what type of person you’re becoming.”