Future Visuals: Storytelling with AI

Venue: Run Run Shaw Tower, Centennial Campus, the University of Hong Kong

Time: August 9 – 13, 2026 (Sunday to Thursday)

Mode of Delivery: In person

Language: English

Programme Introduction

Storytelling is more than simply reading or writing stories. It is a basic but important skill that people use whenever they share information and communicate with others. Now, the emergence of AI sheds light on the future of storytelling and brings new opportunities.

To prepare for a changing future, the Arts Technology Lab (ATL) in the Faculty of Arts offers this programme. Students with academic excellence and forward-thinking mindsets are invited to participate. Students will get a valuable chance to experience the most up-to-date AI tools and enhance their storytelling skills for future creative expression.

In this programme, students will learn how to combine creativity and AI to create either a film-style video or an interactive digital avatar from scratch. They will build skills in narrative structure, visual communication, and the use of advanced AI tools. Students will also have access to cutting-edge facilities at a top-tier university and learn world-leading research methods in digital humanities.

The programme is workshop-based. Students will experiment with industry-level AI tools for creating text, images, audio, avatars, and video. Their experiments will be integrated into a complete workflow from idea development to scripting, storyboarding, generation, and editing. In addition, students will be guided to prepare an academic portfolio that documents how they develop ideas, write prompts, revise outputs, and polish their work.

The programme also prepares students to be responsible creators and thoughtful consumers in a world where generating and receiving AI-processed information is becoming inevitable. By teaching how AI works from a technical perspective and how to use AI tools responsibly to avoid bias, misinformation, and errors, this programme helps students develop the intellectual maturity and AI literacy valued in higher education.

The programme culminates in a final project showcase, where students will present their work to HKU faculty members and receive feedback. All students will receive a credential upon successful completion, and the most outstanding work will receive additional certified awards.

Programme Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs):

By the end of this programme, students will be able to:

Create film-style videos and/or interactive digital avatars independently using designated AI tools.
Evaluate how different media modalities contribute to digital storytelling.
Compile a portfolio that documents and justifies the process of using AI in media creation.
Identify common risks of using AI irresponsibly in digital storytelling.
Explain the mechanisms of AI and (GenAI), and describe the differences between them.

Programme Schedule & Rundown (tentative)

Programme Grouping Rules

The programme offers two learning tracks: AI Avatar and AI Video. Both general instruction and track-specific instruction will be provided.
Each student must choose a learning track at the beginning of the program.
Students may freely choose their preferred track. Depending on the total number of students, each track may have a maximum capacity of half of the total number of participating students. After all choices have been submitted, if more than half of the participating students choose the same track, a random draw will be used to determine which students may remain in that track.
Remaining students will be assigned to the other track.

Programme Assessment

Students must complete the daily homework assigned to them.
On the final day of the programme., each student must present a product based on the given requirements of their learning tracks.
At least 80% of the attendance rate is required.

Programme Instructors

1. Angus Lee, Assistant Lecturer
2. Zack Lu, Assistant Lecturer
3. Aiden Yan, Senior Software Engineer

Pre-Programme Preparation

Each student should complete the following preparations before attending the programme:

1. Laptop & Charging Cable

Only Mac or Windows laptops are acceptable, with a modern system installed (at least macOS 14 or Windows 10 22H2).
Devices should support Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and at least one USB-A port
At least 8 GB of RAM, while 16 GB recommended
At least 30 GB of free disk space

2. Conversion Plug

Hong Kong uses Type G sockets (the HK and UK standard).
If your device uses a different plug, please bring a travel adapter that supports Type G sockets.

3. Headphones

The program involves audio production, so headphones are required to ensure a quiet and private working environment.

4. Accessories (optional but strongly recommeded)

A mouse for precise work on laptops
A power bank for all-day personal power support
A USB drive with at least 16 GB of storage for backing up works
A notebook for sketching visual designs
A water bottle for refilling water on campus
An umbrella or rain jacket for sudden rain in Hong Kong

Programme Policies

Students should properly cite the use of AI tools to state their contributions, alongside a declaration of how human judgment and oversight were exercised to achieve the final product.
Students should always lock their electronic devices when stepping away to protect personal data security.
Students are not allowed to share the API keys or accounts provided by the program with others.

Enquiries and Contact

During daily on-site working hours, please contact the teachers. Their contact information will be provided on the first day of the programme.
For issues that arise outside of on-site working hours, please contact the programme coordinators using the contact information provided at registration.

Accommodation & Extracurricular Activities Options – to be released

Visa Application for Non-local Students (required for face-to-face programmes only):
Students without the right of abode in Hong Kong are required by law to obtain a student visa issued by the Hong Kong Immigration Department (ImmD). As the visa application process takes 10–12 weeks, please submit your online application (HKU Student Visa) as soon as you receive your offer from the HKU Academy. For visa-related enquiries, please contact HKU VISA team at Contact Us | HKU Student Visa.

*Students are responsible for arranging their own visa before coming to Hong Kong. The Admissions Office is not responsible for any delay, cancellation, or rejection of student visa applications.

Travel and Medical Insurance:
All students need to have valid travel and medical insurance as a mandatory condition for participation in our programmes. We strongly recommend that students secure their insurance policies well in advance of their departure to ensure continuous coverage.

Programme Attendance Policies:
Students are highly encouraged to attend ALL classes on time for the duration of the Programme. Please note that according to the University’s attendance and absenteeism policy, at least 80% of the lectures and required classes for each curriculum must be attended.

Disclaimer:

*Programme fees and application fees are non-refundable.

*Programme contents and formats are subject to change. The programme is subject to cancellation if there are insufficient applications.

*The programme will reasonably provide sufficient but limited tokens to support students in completing their products on a fair-use basis.

*Students may purchase additional tokens at their own expense.

For inquiries, please contact:
Email: atlask@hku.hk