Reforming Advertising Education in Application-Oriented Undergraduate Programs in the AI Era Based on a Student Survey

Abstract

Artificial intelligence is increasingly embedded in advertising content production, user analysis, media placement, and campaign evaluation, reshaping the capabilities expected of advertising graduates. This study examines implications for advertising education through a survey of 224 university students with advertising-related learning experience. The questionnaire covered AI tool use, perceptions of industry value, course application, ethical concerns, and employment responses. Results show that 79.02% of respondents used AI at least several times per week and 91.07% had used AI in coursework. Familiarity was higher for large language models and image-generation tools than for data-analysis tools, while course use remained concentrated in copywriting and academic writing. Students valued AI for production efficiency, user analysis, and targeting, but also expressed concern about copyright, data security, false information, and privacy. The findings support a shift from isolated tool training toward an integrated capability chain linking creative work, data analysis, media placement, ethical judgment, and process-based assessment.

Keywords

• Artificial intelligence
• Advertising education
• AIGC
• Human-AI collaboration
• Talent development

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