China’s basic education has entered a new era focused on core competencies. Art education now increasingly emphasizes innovative thinking and artistic expression. Artificial Intelligence-Generated Content (AIGC), is transforming industries worldwide, including art and design (Fathoni in Leveraging generative AI solutions in art and design education: bridging sustainable creativity and fostering academic integrity for innovative society, 2023), by lowering creative barriers and significantly enhancing efficiency. Recognizing this potential, our school has integrated AIGC into art education, using thematic creation to guide teaching and address challenges in conceptualizing themes during the early stages of creation. This approach goes beyond mere technological integration, aiming to cultivate students’ artistic sensibility and critical thinking skills. Through interaction with AI during the creative process, students engage in material research and conceptual development early on, fostering empathy and imbuing their artworks with a sense of “life.” It illustrates the application of AIGC in art education through the case, “AI Design: Future City.” This human–computer interaction mode has changed the traditional teaching mode, greatly enhancing students’ initiative and efficiency in learning. Practical research confirms that this integration enriches teaching resources, provides intelligent support for art creation, and nurtures innovative talent. The study’s findings offer new perspectives for art education and hold practical, innovative, and scalable implications.