As artificial intelligence continues to transform industries across the globe, students at Schieffer College are already preparing for the future of media, advertising and strategic communication.
The strategic communication department launched an undergraduate special topics course this spring to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping advertising, market research, content creation, recommendation algorithms and communication strategy. The course also challenges students to critically examine the ethical and societal implications of emerging technologies.
The course was taught by assistant professor Weizi Liu, who said it represented years of research and preparation.
Weizi Liu, assistant professor of strategic communication
“I have been researching the role of AI in strategic communication for over eight years, well before the recent generative AI boom,” Liu said. “Developing an AI-focused strategic communication course was never a spur-of-the-moment idea for me — it felt like a natural extension of years of accumulated research, teaching experience and ongoing observations about how AI is reshaping the field.”
The course marked an important step forward for Schieffer College as it continues expanding opportunities for students to engage with emerging technologies and evolving industry practices.
“This course reflects the college’s willingness to actively engage with innovation and emerging technologies rather than simply reacting to them after they become trending,” Liu said. “It demonstrates an openness to experimentation, interdisciplinary thinking and adapting curriculum to a rapidly changing communication environment.”
Throughout the semester, students were encouraged not only to experiment with AI tools, but also to think critically about the role technology will play in the future of communication industries.
“What surprised me most was the curiosity, openness and care that students exhibited toward the concepts, examples and activities throughout the course,” Liu said. “Even when approaching unfamiliar topics and challenges, they engaged with them with the confidence of graduating seniors.”
From AI in Beauty to AI in Course Advising
That creativity and confidence became especially evident in the students’ final projects, where teams developed AI-driven concepts to address real-world communication and consumer challenges.
One standout project, “Unboxed Beauty,” explored how AI could improve transparency in the beauty industry. The student team created a chatbot-based platform designed to help consumers better understand skincare and cosmetic products while identifying misleading marketing language and “greenwashing” tactics commonly used in beauty advertising.
The platform used AI-powered ingredient translation, optical character recognition label scanning and personalized product recommendations to simplify complex scientific information for consumers. Students positioned the project as both a shopping assistant and a trusted beauty advisor focused on education and transparency.
“Our chatbot makes beauty shopping clearer, easier and more trustworthy for consumers,” the student team explained in their presentation.
The visual branding and polished chatbot prototype reflected the kind of strategic and creative thinking students explored throughout the semester. The project blended communication strategy, user experience design and ethical AI applications into a concept that mirrored real-world industry campaigns.
Liu said projects like these demonstrated that the course was never simply about learning the newest AI tools.
“While teaching students what counts as ‘change,’ I also think it is equally important to teach what remains ‘unchanged’ — the technological foundations behind these systems and the enduring importance of human insight, strategy and critical thinking,” Liu said.
Other student teams tackled entirely different challenges through AI-powered solutions. One group developed “PurplePath,” an AI-assisted advising platform designed to help students navigate course scheduling, degree requirements and graduation planning. The concept focused on reducing stress, improving confidence in course selection and minimizing costly scheduling mistakes for students.
Together, the projects reflected the broad range of ways students applied AI to strategic communication, branding and consumer experience challenges while also thinking critically about usability, ethics and audience needs.
Adapting in Real-Time
As AI technology evolved throughout the semester, the course itself adapted in real time. Students participated in AI news updates, tool evaluations and discussions surrounding creativity, ethics, labor, trustand the evolving role of communicators in an AI-driven world.
“This course was not just about teaching students how to use AI tools, but also about helping them prepare a mindset for adapting to ongoing technological change,” Liu said.
The launch of the course signals Schieffer College’s broader commitment to innovation while maintaining its emphasis on ethical communication, critical thinking and strategic leadership.
“There will always be endless new tools and applications emerging,” Liu said. “What matters is developing the understanding of the unique strengths that strategic communicators bring to an ever-changing technological environment.”
As industries continue adapting to artificial intelligence, Schieffer students are learning not only how to navigate technological change — but how to lead it.