Stories That Teach: Eastern Wisdom for Human-AI Creative Partnerships

TL;DR

This paper presents a workshop on integrating Eastern aesthetic philosophies into human-AI collaborative storytelling education, emphasizing strategic AI use while maintaining creative agency in visual narratives.

Contribution

It introduces a structured 'gap-and-fill' methodology combining Eastern aesthetics with hands-on practice for teaching human-AI creative partnerships in HCI storytelling.

Findings

Participants learn to create compelling narratives with AI assistance.

The methodology enhances understanding of culturally informed AI integration.

Workshop demonstrates effective strategies for teaching AI-assisted storytelling.

Abstract

This workshop explores innovative human-AI collaboration methodologies in HCI visual storytelling education through our established "gap-and-fill" approach. Drawing on Eastern aesthetic philosophies of intentional emptiness, including Chinese negative-space traditions, Japanese "ma" concepts, and contemporary design minimalism, we demonstrate how educators can teach students to maintain creative agency while strategically leveraging AI assistance. During this workshop, participants will experience a structured three-phase methodology: creating a human-led narrative foundation, identifying strategic gaps, and collaborating on AI enhancements. The workshop combines theoretical foundations with intensive hands-on practice, enabling participants to create compelling HCI visual narratives that demonstrate effective human-AI partnership. Through sequential art techniques, storyboarding exercises, and guided AI integration, attendees learn to communicate complex interactive concepts, accessibility solutions, and user experience flows while preserving narrative coherence and creative vision. Building on our successful workshops at ACM C&C 2025, this session specifically addresses the needs of the Chinese HCI community for culturally informed and pedagogically sound approaches to AI integration in creative education.