Generative AI in STEAM Education: Applications and Development Prospects for Promoting Artistic Creativity

With the rapid development in generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) technologies, their application in STEAM education offers new possibilities for promoting interdisciplinary integration of technology and the arts. This study employs a systematic literature review method. Six databases—Google Scholar, Web of Science, PubMed, Taylor & Francis, Springer Link, and Scopus—were searched for publications from January 2021 to January 2026. After independent screening and review by two reviewers, 21 empirical studies out of 424 initial records were included. A comprehensive analysis was conducted using a combination of open and axial coding. The findings indicate that GenAI’s support for artistic creativity in STEAM education is primarily manifested in four dimensions: lowering the threshold for creation to enhance the accessibility of artistic creativity, stimulating interdisciplinary associations to strengthen subject integration, supporting critical artistic recreation to deepen cultural engagement, and building a human–GenAI collaborative creation ecosystem to foster reflexivity. Based on this, the study constructs a GCD (Guiding questioning–Co-refining–Deepening reflection) cyclic instructional framework, providing teachers with an actionable pedagogical pathway for using GenAI to cultivate students’ interdisciplinary artistic creativity across different educational stages. Furthermore, the study systematically analyzes ethical challenges such as technological dependency, cultural homogenization, educational equity, and originality, and proposes corresponding pedagogical strategies to address them. It should be noted that the current body of relevant empirical research is limited in quantity and exhibits substantial heterogeneity, and the GCD framework still requires further classroom-based practical validation. Future research could strengthen empirical longitudinal tracking of longterm effects, deepen the construction of support systems for teachers’ digital literacy, and continue to advance the exploration of ethical, equity, and cultural diversity issues in GenAI-based artistic creativity education.