Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the way news and media is produced, and University of Northern Colorado (UNC) students are learning how to respond to that change in real time. Sean Montano, assistant professor of journalism and media studies, has introduced a new project-based course that adapts as quickly as the technology itself.
Montano’s Artificial Intelligence in Media Production course immerses students in the rapidly changing landscape of AI tools used across journalism and media and challenges them to experiment with new technologies to create multimedia works with AI support. Inspired by new developments in the rapidly growing AI job market, Montano developed the course with career preparation in mind. But with a subject as rapidly evolving as AI today, Montano’s syllabus underwent more than a few changes before the semester began.
“We probably redid this course 10 times before we started because conditions kept changing,” Montano said.
After numerous adjustments, Montano came to a new conclusion. The idea was that a complete syllabus could not be planned without flexibility built in.
“When we started the class, we had about seven weeks of ideal syllabus planning. As new AI tools come out weekly, even daily, we simply pivot the entire course. We’re as responsive as we can,” Montano commented.
In addition to his innovative teaching style, Montano regularly incorporates project-based learning into his classroom. Instead of traditional assignments, students work in teams to create visual projects that incorporate AI tools directly into storytelling. This approach allows us to test our AI tools hands-on and demonstrate our work in a tangible format that can be taken outside the classroom.
The integration of AI raises many questions regarding its fair and ethical use. In this course, Montano challenges students to consider both their own boundaries and the constraints of the media industry while justifying any AI choices they make. He said understanding ethics is critical for journalists who must navigate both the potential and pitfalls of AI.
“This is a question we ask every day,” Montano says. “Students base their decisions on three layers: their own comfort level, industry standards for the type of media they are creating, and what their audience deserves in terms of transparency.”
One example of where generative AI is being used is a student multimedia news project. We were divided into groups and assigned to create an entire hypothetical video. Use only generative AI tools. In addition to assigning team roles and engineering efficient and stylistically consistent prompts, we also had to consider the ethical implications of relying solely on generative AI in broadcast journalism. Like the multimedia news project, most of the class assignments are visual. Rather than writing a paper, students create and share visual presentations that integrate and/or present within AI tools such as Gemini, ChatGPT, and LTX. Students will leverage AI to create headlines, captions, scripts, synopses, and more related to news coverage. Some are training AI chatbots to replicate their writing style and tone. Montano looks forward to seeing these applications in action when students take news production courses in the spring.
Montano added that the course goes beyond technical skills to open students’ eyes to new roles in the changing media landscape. He cited career development in AI prompt engineering and ethics consulting, neither of which were on the map two years ago. Despite growing concerns that AI will create unemployment by replacing human jobs, Montano believes this phase of technological progress is a natural part of the cycle of industrialization.
“[Artificial intelligence] “For example, people were sewing by hand, and then they built machines. So people were replaced, but then you needed people to maintain the machines, load the machines with fabric, etc., and other jobs were created. I think the same thing will happen with AI. Certain jobs will be rewritten or cease to exist, but then new jobs will be created.”
Montano believes UNC students will benefit from engaging directly with AI, rather than avoiding it. By treating AI as something to be explored rather than feared, Montano’s students develop a more informed approach to the tools that are already shaping modern journalism.
For journalism and media studies student Kinsley Walker, the relationship with AI remains delicate. Mr Walker said at the start of the course that he strongly opposed the use of AI due to its environmental impact. But as the world of journalism expanded and changed with AI, Walker feared he would be left behind without it.
“Journalism is advancing whether you know how to use AI or not. I believe a basic understanding of AI is essential to growing as a storyteller. I felt that this course would prepare me to respond to rapid change,” Walker said.
Walker, along with fellow journalism and media studies colleagues Greg Egbert, Jalen Lee, and Alethea Evangelista-Flores, will present the results of the course at the Broadcast Educators Association Conference in Las Vegas in April 2026, and the presentation was selected by the entire class as a final exam. Mr. Walker shared that integrating all the students’ research and experiments into a concise presentation was a difficult but ultimately rewarding process. Montano brings a group of students to the conference each year and is excited to give them the opportunity to present in an environment that has traditionally been faculty-led.
“I think [it’s important to] “We ask students who have actually done it to share their experiences, the lessons they learned, and how it helped their careers, their learning, their critical thinking,” Montano said. “It’s more effective that way: hearing from real people who were impacted.”
As AI continues to reshape the media landscape, Montano’s Artificial Intelligence in Media Production course will enable UNC students to enter the industry with clarity and practical experience. For him and his students, the goal is simple. Understand the technologies that will shape the future of storytelling and be ready to meet that future head-on.
