By Fatima Salinas 

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming journalism, advertising, public relations, and strategic communication. To help students navigate that evolving landscape, the School of Journalism and Mass Communication introduced JMC:3162 AI and Media, a course exploring the growing role of AI in media industries. 

For Ava Goldsmith, a senior majoring in journalism and mass communication on the strategic communication track, enrolling in the course meant confronting a technology she wasn't sure she trusted. 

"I had a limited and somewhat negative view of AI," Goldsmith said. "I didn't see many positives, but I knew it was important to educate myself." 

Assistant Professor Sang Jung Kim developed the course after noticing uncertainty and concern among students about AI's growing presence in media professions. 

"There was a lot of fear among students about AI," Kim said. "Students couldn't really separate those risks from opportunities." 

Goldsmith shared many of those concerns. Before taking the course, she viewed AI as a threat to creativity and meaningful human connection. 

Critically examining AI in the field 

Rather than focusing solely on how to use AI, Kim designed the course to help students critically examine both the opportunities and challenges of AI. Through class discussions and activities, students explored how AI is shaping communication industries and debated its ethical implications. 

"What students really liked was that for every few slides of lecturing, we had thought-provoking discussions," Kim said. 

For Goldsmith, those conversations became one of the most valuable aspects of the class. 

"I learned the importance of open discussion," she said. "AI is a complex topic, and it's okay to have different opinions." 

Students applied those lessons through an AI fluency magazine project, which asked them to investigate how artificial intelligence intersects with their academic interests and career goals. 

Understanding AI's strengths and weaknesses 

For Goldsmith, that meant bringing AI into work she was already doing through her internship with the Coralville Community Food Pantry. 

Using data related to free and reduced lunch participation in local schools, Goldsmith explored how AI could help create visuals and communicate information more effectively. While an AI tool successfully generated a chart, she found herself repeatedly revising and refining the results. 

"This showed me that AI is helpful for speeding up technical or repetitive tasks, but still requires human creativity," she said. 

That experience reinforced one of the course's broader lessons. 

"What they found was this incompleteness of AI-mediated work," Kim said. "Media professionals still should decide what's good work versus what's bad work." 

By the end of the semester, Goldsmith's perspective had become far more nuanced. 

"The more I learned, the more disadvantages I saw," she said. "At the same time, the more I learned, the more advantages I saw." 

Rather than encouraging students to embrace or reject AI outright, Kim said the course helps students approach the technology with intrigue and confidence. 

"I hope it's the first step to really just not be stressed about AI, but actually be curious," Kim said. 

Preparing for what's next 

The course will be available again this fall, and will count toward the university's new AI certificate, which will launch in the fall 2026 semester.  

For Goldsmith, the experience created space for critical reflection on a technology that will play a role in her future career.

"I now feel more equipped to enter the workforce because of my knowledge of how to use it and when to use it," she said. 

Looking back on the semester, Goldsmith said the course changed the way she sees artificial intelligence altogether. 

"I am not just seeing a single prompt and answer," she said. "I am seeing a whole chain reaction, a bigger picture of AI."