With the rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence Generated Content (AIGC) technologies, traditional cultural dissemination is undergoing a new wave of digital transformation. This study explores the application of AIGC in the popularization of tea culture, focusing on how AIGC enables personalized content generation and interactive experiences. A single-group experimental design was conducted with 20 undergraduate students at a Chinese university. Participants used tools such as ChatGPT, Doubao, and Keling to generate visual content related to tea culture. Image quality comparisons and qualitative interviews were employed for analysis. Findings show that each AIGC tool has unique strengths: ChatGPT excelled in cultural accuracy, Kelin in creative expression and visual quality, and Doubao in practical usability. Interview results indicate overall student satisfaction with AIGC tools, acknowledging the reduction in barriers to cultural expression and increased creative confidence and learning motivation. However, participants also pointed out limitations in the tools’ handling of cultural nuances. This study provides empirical support and practical insights for the digital dissemination of traditional culture, and suggests future research directions such as scaling up sample size and exploring multi-platform synergy.