Associate professor of data science at Tallinn University of Technology
What happens when Estonia’s beloved film "Kevade" ("Spring") is colourised and one of its main characters, Arno, is recast as a young Leonardo DiCaprio? When artificial intelligence meets student creativity, an experiment is born – one that pushes the boundaries of both technology and culture.
Have you ever imagined what Estonia’s cinematic treasure Kevade might look like in colour – and what if Arno were played by a youthful Leonardo DiCaprio? This is no mere flight of fancy, but a real experiment created by a master’s student as part of Tallinn University of Technology’s “Data Mining” course.
Teaching and learning need not be repetitive or dull. Each course is unique, shaped by the societal currents of the moment and the personalities of its participants. I make it a point to include unconventional challenges in my courses – assignments that lie at the intersection of curiosity, creativity, and technical skill.
This semester’s bonus assignment was timely and provocative: to explore how far artificial intelligence has come in reimagining a classic. I invited students to experiment with generative AI – colourising the black-and-white Kevade and digitally replacing Arno with DiCaprio.
The aim wasn’t just a technical exercise – it was a statement: art and technology are not mutually exclusive. Even a cultural classic can be revived in novel ways. And creativity doesn’t always require a competition, a grant application, or a budget – sometimes, the confluence of skill, imagination and persistence is enough.
Student work often remains confined within the classroom walls – but why should it? The demonstration below shows the remarkable outcome achieved by business IT master’s student Oliver Olmaru, who tested not only the limits of technology but also his own world-class creativity, talent, and dedication.
Today, students are no longer expected to submit their coursework at a set hour in a half-empty auditorium. When the presentation is uploaded to YouTube – with the student’s permission (thank you, Oliver!) – it can reach a far wider audience and showcase the exceptional things happening at university every day.
Ultimately, such technical experiments are also acts of creation and art. While this particular project was educational in nature, every viewer will find something surprising in the new Kevade – from the icy echo of Titanic (Teele and Arno!) to the wintery atmosphere reminiscent of The Revenant.
One thing is clear: creative tech should not be confined to the lab. If we teach our students to experiment boldly and imaginatively with technology, they will generate ideas that have the power to inspire society at large.
