The Application of AI-Generated Art in Traditional Fine Arts Education and Research on Aesthetic Perception

The rapid advancement of generative artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping artistic creation and exerting profound influence on art education. In China, the integration of AI has expanded instructional tools and resources while transforming students’ aesthetic experiences and creative pathways. This paper provides a literature review of domestic and international studies, summarizing how AI-generated art has been applied within Chinese fine arts education. Current practices demonstrate that AI can enhance classroom interactivity and stimulate student creativity, fostering a shift toward human–machine collaborative teaching models. However, students and teachers also express complex attitudes toward the originality and cultural value of AI-generated works. Existing scholarship reveals limitations, including insufficient theoretical frameworks, a scarcity of longitudinal empirical studies, and limited coverage of diverse regional and cultural contexts. Future research should prioritize systematic curriculum design, investigate the psychological and aesthetic mechanisms underpinning students’ engagement with AI art (e.g., Leder et al., 2004; Bellaiche et al., 2023), conduct cross-cultural comparisons (Sáez-Velasco et al., 2024), and establish ethical guidelines for responsible integration. In summary, AI-generated art presents opportunities for the digitalization and innovative development of traditional Chinese art education, but its application must balance technological affordances with the intrinsic educational mission of nurturing creativity and preserving cultural heritage.