Technology Acceptance of Generative AI Among Digital Media Arts Students in a Sino-British Higher Education Partnership Institution

Abstract

The rapid development of text-to-image and text-to-video AI-generated content (AIGC) is reshaping the visual courses in higher education. There is limited evidence about how students in Sino-British partnership institutions understand and use these tools navigating both UK and Chinese approaches to copyright and academic integrity rules. This study analyzed responses from 97 Digital Media Arts students at the Birmingham Institute of Fashion and Creative Art (BIFCA) in Wuhan, China. This questionnaire integrated the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). It found that perceived usefulness and perceived creative legitimacy each independently and significantly predicted future behavioral intention and current usage. Perceived usefulness was the stronger predictor of behavioral intention, consistent with Davis's original findings on information systems adoption. Students doubted that AIGC currently improves efficiency or creative practice yet rejected the view that AI art is merely a novelty and believe that ethical debates were resolved. BIFCA should provide AIGC literacy education responsive to a global platform and challenge students' belief that copyright questions are settled.