Teaching Case Study: ChatGPT and Beyond – Exploring AI in Advertising

During this session Marissa Peacock shared insights from the course AI and Advertising is a cross-disciplinary elective offered at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, which was piloted in Spring 2024 and refined in 2025. The course combines hands-on use of AI tools with critical discussions on ethics and brand trust, alongside insights from industry and guest speakers. By examining the assignments, readings, guest presentations, and student feedback over two years, this session highlights strong student engagement and the course’s ongoing pedagogical development. Additionally, the course’s design, evolution, and outcomes are explored, offering practical lessons for teaching when technology and creativity intersect.