Exercises — Session 8 🟢

“Create with AI: your creative studio”

Program : Applied AI — Beginner Level · Instructor: Yann Isola Material : paper + markers. Access to AI tools useful but never obligatory : each exercise has its “screen-free” version.

Exercise 1 — The prompt in 5 ingredients 🧪

Duration: 12 min · In pairs · Restitution: reading aloud

The idea

A successful creative prompt contains 5 ingredients : subject, style, atmosphere, details, constraints . Your mission: write a complete one… and know how to recognize the ingredients in others.

Unrolled

Step 1 (3 min) — Diagnosis. Here are three prompts. For each, check the ingredients present and note what is missing:

“Draw a cat. »
“A pirate cat on a cheese raft, comic book style.” »
“A pirate cat on a cheese raft, comic book style, peaceful sunset ambiance, with a seagull stealing his hat, no text in the image. »

Step 2 (7 min) — Creation. In pairs, write YOUR complete prompt with the 5 ingredients, based on one of the following topics (or your own): 🌊 a city under the sea · 🤖 a robot gardener · 🎪 a circus on the Moon · 🐉 a shy dragon

Write each ingredient on a separate line, then assemble the final sentence.

Step 3 (2 min) — The cross check. Exchange your prompt with another pair: they must find the 5 ingredients. If one is missing or if two contradict each other, correct it!

Version without screen

This exercise is already 100% paper. Bonus without screen: draw in 60 seconds what YOU imagine from the prompt received — compare with the intention of the author pair.

Exercise 2 — Human AI 🎭 (the I-P-C-I loop)

Duration: 15 min · In teams of 4 · No screen necessary

The idea

To understand the loop Idea → Prompt → Critique → Iteration , we play it for real: in each team, one person becomes the “AI” and draws Exactly what is asked of him — literally, without guessing the intentions. Like a real AI!

The roles

🖍️ AI : draw in 60 seconds, quite literally. If the prompt says “a cake with stars”, she is free to put the stars IN the cake. Prohibition on asking questions.
🎨 The artistic director : has a secret image in mind (provided by the instructor or invented), writes the prompts.
🔎 The two criticisms : after each drawing, say 1 thing that works and 1 thing to change.

Unrolled

Round 1 (3 mins). The director writes a short prompt (1 sentence). The AI draws 60 sec. Critics comment. Round 2 (3 mins). The director rewrites his prompt taking into account the criticism (the 5 ingredients help!). AI redesigns. Reviews. Round 3 (3 mins). Latest iteration. Objective: to get as close as possible to the secret image. Assessment (3 min). Compare the final drawing with the original intention. What improved the result the most: drawing better, or describing better?

Turn the tables if time permits.

What we learn

An AI takes everything literally : it is up to the prompt to be precise.
The first result is rarely the right one: iterating is part of the job .
Useful criticism is specific (“the sky should be stormy”) and not vague (“it’s ugly”).

Exercise 3 — The studio project: the client’s order 🎬

Duration: 25 min · In teams of 3-4 · Restitution: 1 min per team

The idea

Your team is a creative studio . A (fictitious) customer places an order with you. You must deliver a professional final prompt by applying the entire I-P-C-I loop — and respect the rules of creative honesty.

Unrolled

Step 1 (2 min) — The order. Pull out a “customer order” sheet (provided by the instructor: bakery poster, town hall mascot, album cover, astronomy logo, etc.). Read the need AND the two constraints carefully.

Step 2 (5 min) — Idea. Brainstorm: 3 ideas minimum, then vote for ONE. Make an intention sketch (30 seconds, ugly allowed).

Step 3 (6 min) — Prompt v1. Write the prompt with the 5 ingredients. Check that the client's constraints are included.

Step 4 (5 min) — Cross-critique. Pass your prompt to the neighboring team. It “plays the AI”: it draws or describes the literal result, then returns it to you with 2 specific criticisms . (Studio rule: we criticize the prompt and the result, never the people.)

Step 5 (5 min) — Prompt v2. Improve your prompt with reviews. Write down WHAT you changed and WHY.

Step 6 (2 min) — Prepare for delivery. A sentence of presentation + the mention of honesty: “Created with the help of AI”.

The delivery form (to be returned)

STUDIO : ................  CLIENT : ................
PROMPT v1 : ..............................................
CRITIQUES REÇUES : 1) .................. 2) ..................
PROMPT v2 : ..............................................
CE QU'ON A CHANGÉ ET POURQUOI : ..........................
CONTRAINTES DU CLIENT RESPECTÉES ?  oui  non
MENTION D'HONNÊTETÉ PRÉVUE ?  oui

Version with screens

In steps 4 and 5, actually generate the v1 and v2 images with the available tool — but keep the exchange of critiques between teams: it’s what makes progress.

Version without screen

As is! The “AI” is played by the neighboring team in step 4. It’s often even funnier.

Exercise 4 (bonus) — The creators’ court ⚖️

Duration: 15 min · Whole room · Without screen

The idea

A mini-trial to decide: “Lila, 14, won the middle school poster competition with an AI-generated image, without saying it. Should she keep her price? »

Unrolled

3 volunteers: Lila's lawyer , the competition lawyer , the judge .
The rest of the room is jury : everyone notes an argument for each side during the pleadings (2 min per lawyer).
The judge asks ONE question to each lawyer, then the jury votes by show of hands.
Debrief with the 3 rules of creative honesty: what would have changed everything? (Expected answer: say it . The problem isn't using AI, it's hiding it — and competing in a category where it was banned.)

⚠ For the instructor: keep the debate on transparency and the rules of the competition, not on “AI is good/bad”. No one should come away thinking that the class has judged the AI users.

End of exercises — Session 8 🟢 · The important thing is not the most beautiful result, but the best loop Idea → Prompt → Critique → Iteration.