Kaleidoscope light blasts through the 36 foot rhombus – an iridescent pulse that breathes rhythm into a crowd with over 800 students, filmmakers, artists attending the USC Flux Festival at the Audrey Irmas Pavilion on Wilshire in Koreatown. Emerald hues cascaded across angular walls, casting sharp shadows and soft gradients that felt alive, like the space itself was listening. Neon lines glowed electric blue, slicing through the dark like veins carrying energy through the structure. 

Young faces reflected the light, catching flickers of red, gold, and violet from digital grids. 

Artistic and unfinished embodies the core of USC’s mission: to place students not at the edge of generative AI’s transformative conversation but directly within it, where ideas coalesce into ventures and creativity blurs into economic shifts so profound they ripple 100-fold, 200-fold through industries. 

Holly Willis, Co-Director of USC’s Center for Generative AI and Society, stood at the heart of this creative tempest, speaking with a calm that steadied the air. “We created a space where artists lead the AI conversation – not with fear, but with imagination – blending disciplines, sharing ideas, and showing artists how to navigate and reshape a transforming industry.”

The Flux Festival invited students to immerse themselves in the future, a space where generative AI merged with artistic experimentation. Cutting-edge installations – spanning VR, AR, web-based art, and glitch-inspired projections – challenged traditional aesthetics and demanded new ways of thinking. Students stepped into the role of creators, curating projects and collaborating directly with media artists, filmmakers, and musicians to shape an event that redefined creativity.

“This festival created a community,” said Willis. “Students experienced how ideas from different genres – short filmmaking, video art, digital installations – converge to spark something entirely new. The artists brought their expertise, and the students brought their curiosity. Together, they built something transformative representing the paradigm shift we’re currently seeing.”

Every detail reflected this collaborative spirit. Students shaped the installations, worked closely with artists, and curated a gallery space that embraced imperfections and glitches as new forms of beauty. Conversations explored the ethics of datasets, the evolving role of storytelling, and the future of creativity in a machine-learning world.

"AI changes how images are created,” Willis remarked. “It’s not a replacement for storytelling or aesthetics – it’s a new tool with its own logic. Understanding those differences is essential.”

USC placed students directly in these transformative moments. They gained hands-on experience and engaged in critical conversations, forging connections that will shape their creative futures. The Flux Festival didn’t pause to predict what’s next – it built it, piece by piece, with students leading the way.

And beneath the swirling colors and avant-garde performances, a deeper story about how generative AI is being told – integrated into every corner of USC, from art to industry, from storytelling to startup ventures.

USC Iovine and Young Academy’s Innovation Quest encapsulates this broader vision. The Innovation Quest places students on a structured journey that mirrors the challenges of a real-world startup. Founders Bootcamp kicks off in the fall, immersing students in the grit and creativity required to build ventures, with Ignite Grants providing seed funding to test new ideas, a Gen AI Hackathon to collaborate with other Trojan founders,  all in preparation for the Academy’s Venture Showcase— an annual showcase that places their work in front of investors. 

“What’s special about student founders is their openness,” said Tina Sharkey, serial founder, Lecturer, Director of the Innovation Quest at the Iovine and Young Academy, and Principal Investigator of the Gen AI & Society Grant from USC’s Office of Innovation and Research. “They aren’t tied to legacy ideas. Their mindset allows them to reimagine systems and create movements, not just companies.” 

That philosophy underpins the Innovation Quest’s larger ambition: to prepare students to disrupt existing categories, create new ones, and build companies that could become pillars of modern industries.

Through the Academy’s Innovation Quest partnership with Microsoft’s Founders Hub, students gained access to tools like GPT-4 and Azure Cloud credits, leveling the playing field with some of the world’s most advanced startups.

“I’ll admit, despite having gone to school at their crosstown rival, I was completely blown away by the talent and creativity on display at the event in Los Angeles,” said Hans Yang, Head of Microsoft for Startups, “I was struck by the passion and drive as the students shared their visions of creating meaningful change in the world using AI.”
Through these resources and guidance, student ventures have achieved remarkable breakthroughs. Clinicode reimagines how medical offices handle insurance paperwork, streamlining processes that previously drained time and resources. Air Diligence reinvents commercial real estate evaluation, providing faster and more transparent solutions. Another team, BarScore.ai has tackled the Bar exam with a virtual tutoring platform, reshaping how aspiring lawyers prepare for one of the profession’s most grueling milestones.

Innovations like these emerge from a mindset focused on creating solutions that endure. David Gerber of Viterbi, who collaborates closely with student ventures, explained, “These are ventures built to solve real problems and create lasting value.”

As USC integrates AI into every aspect of its curriculum, the university positions itself as an incubator for the future. From the startup world to the arts, students are learning how to harness the transformative power of AI, not in isolation but as active participants in reshaping the landscape of work, culture, and society.

“I have never seen an academic program as fast or transformational as the Academy,” said Sharkey. “From the moment students unpack their dorms, they are immersed in challenges that push them to innovate, build, and collaborate with peers, professors, industry, and entrepreneurs – all driven by a shared curiosity to change the world… this is how we redefine industries.”

From art to industry, USC students are making actionable impact in the AI space across campus.

At USC, AI stands for actionable impact

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