AI & ART Summer institute 2026: student showcase

AI & Art Summer Institute is a pre-college program for high school students exploring the possibilities and social impacts of making art with AI software. Led by software artists Lauren McCarthy and Casey Reas, AI & Art is housed with UCLA Art’s Social Software Lab. Social Software creates art that explores the role of software in culture. We’re interested in people and the ways that technology brings us together.

Students explore the impact of technology on their lives and the world around them, while finding creative ways to engage with software to tell personal and meaningful stories.

The institute is taught by professionally-trained instructors using the most current AI software and technology. The institute culminates in a final exhibition and the creation of portfolio-ready work that students may include in their college applications in related fields.

The 2026 AI & Art Summer Institute is supported by UCLA DataX, YoungArts and Fuser.

2026 Instructional Team:

• Emmanuel Lugo - Instructor

• Natalie Yoon - Program Assistant

• Aurora Mititelu - Program Director

Explore the 2026 cohort’s projects below: