This study examines the empowering role of artificial intelligence (AI) in high school art education, with a focus on teaching tie-dye, a nationally recognized intangible cultural heritage (ICH). Traditional art education often faces constraints in materials, time, and instructional resources. AI offers new opportunities to address these limitations and reframe heritage-based craft teaching. Based on an empirical project with 42 students, this study highlights four instructional models: virtual experimentation, AI-handcraft integration, immersive learning, and interdisciplinary innovation. The findings suggest that AI not only compensates for resource limitations but also strengthens cultural recognition, providing observable evidence for revitalizing traditional crafts in adolescent education. At the same time, challenges remain, including overreliance on digital tools, limited teacher expertise, and concerns over originality and equity. The study concludes that integrating AI into tie-dye education should follow the principle of “technology serving education and innovation grounded in culture.” Practical recommendations are proposed regarding teacher training, curriculum design, resource development, and policy support, aiming for a balanced integration of tradition and technology. By doing so, AI-enhanced art education can foster creativity, interdisciplinary literacy, and cultural transmission, contributing both to pedagogical innovation and the sustainable development of intangible cultural heritage.
Ruimin Li (2025) studied this question.