Global Communication Studies Collab
HKUST is Hong Kong’s top ranked university according to Times Higher Education’s 2025 Impact Rankings, and is ranked 19th in the world.
Discussions regarding the collaboration began during a visit to Hong Kong by Professor Dan Laufer, Head of the School of Communication Studies, earlier this year where he met with Professor Hongbo Fu, Acting Head of the Division of Arts and Machine Creativity at HKUST. Professor Fu expressed interest in an innovative course developed by two of the School of Communication Studies’ senior lecturers, Justin Matthews and Matt Guinibert. Following further discussions a teaching residency was arranged for Justin and Matt and they were invited by HKUST as visiting scholars to teach their course “Creative & Critical AI-Powered Media Production” in January 2026.
The course is designed to introduce HKUST students to hands-on, critically engaged creative practices using generative AI tools, supported by academic staff with expertise in speculative media, digital production, and technological ethics. The collaboration aims to demonstrate a scalable and flexible teaching model that supports curriculum innovation, builds research synergies, and fosters globally relevant creative capability.
Through this initiative, both institutions have an opportunity to explore new models of creative media education that integrate practice-based learning, rapid prototyping, and reflective critique. The course prepares students for an evolving industry shaped by generative media and automated production pipelines.
According to Professor Laufer the course is the beginning of a collaboration between the school and HKUST. In his discussions with Professor Lu from HKUST they both agreed that the teaching collaboration could extend to other areas, such as research, in the future.