Abstract: Based on the “Mechanics 101 Program”, this article analyzes the challenges faced in material mechanics teaching in the AI era, and discusses the following issues: In the AI era, what kind of teachers are irreplaceable? What kind of students are irreplaceable? How can material mechanics teaching surpass AI? How can creative thinking be cultivated in students? The article proposes a perspective on materials mechanics teaching that goes beyond AI, i.e. the process of creating material mechanics knowledge (from the germination to the maturation of concepts and ideas) is as important as its final form. Based on this teaching perspective, a teaching model, centered around the “abstraction process of material mechanics concepts” and the “evolutionary process of material mechanics ideas”, is introduced. The potential paths to stimulate students’ creativity is analyzed.