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AI AND CREATIVITY SUMMIT
Programme
Across two cities, we will look at real creative practice, new opportunities, and the tensions that come with speed. This includes truth and trust, copyright and attribution, social license, and the future of creative craft.
Day One: Auckland
8:00 AM Registration and tea/coffee
9:00 AM Mihi whakatau
Theme 1: The Future of News
9:15 AM Introduction to AI Film Festival
9:17 AM Showcase of three AI Film Festival Entries
Experience the creativity and experimentation of the Aotearoa 1 Minute AI Film Festival with a fast-paced showcase of three finalist films at a time. After each screening, you’ll have the chance to vote for your favourites, helping decide which stories, techniques, and creative approaches resonate most. These sessions are designed to spark conversation about what’s possible (and what’s worth valuing) as AI transforms filmmaking, storytelling, and creative expression.
9:25 AM Inspirational Story: creatives using AI in their practice
In this session a creative will share how they’re using AI in their practice.
9:45 AM Fireside Chat: Prompting curious minds — AI, creativity, and what comes next
Join Laura Ellis (BBC) in conversation with Lucky Gunasekara (CEO & Co‑Founder, Miso.ai) for a wide‑ranging fireside chat on how AI is reshaping the creative and media landscape. Together they’ll explore the opportunities and tensions emerging as generative tools move from experimentation into everyday workflows — from storytelling and audience engagement to trust, attribution, and the broader social implications of AI. Expect a thoughtful, practical discussion that brings global perspectives into Aotearoa’s creative context, and opens up the questions we need to ask next.
Laura Ellis, Head of Technology Forecasting, BBC
Lucky Gunasekara, CEO, miso.ai
10:05 AM Panel Discussion: The Future of News
News is where we expect truth from — but in the age of AI, what does truth look like, and who (or what) gets to tell our stories? Moderated by Laura Ellis (BBC), this panel explores how AI is reshaping journalism and the wider information ecosystem, from verification and trust to deepfakes, attribution, and the changing relationship between audiences and news. Together, we’ll examine what it will take to protect news integrity while still evolving how stories are created, distributed, and experienced in Aotearoa and beyond.
Moderator:
Laura Ellis, Head of Technology Forecasting, BBC
10:45 AM Morning Tea
Theme 2: How do we know what to Trust ? What is the Truth?
11:15 AM Showcase of three AI Film Festival Entries
Experience the creativity and experimentation of the Aotearoa 1 Minute AI Film Festival with a fast-paced showcase of three finalist films at a time. After each screening, you’ll have the chance to vote for your favourites, helping decide which stories, techniques, and creative approaches resonate most. These sessions are designed to spark conversation about what’s possible (and what’s worth valuing) as AI transforms filmmaking, storytelling, and creative expression.
11:25 AM Inspirational Story: creatives using AI in their practice
In this session a creative will share how they’re using AI in their practice.
11:45 AM Fireside Chat
12:05 AM Panel Discussion
12:45 AM Lunch
Theme 3: Thief or Genius?
1:35 PM Showcase of three AI Film Festival Entries
Experience the creativity and experimentation of the Aotearoa 1 Minute AI Film Festival with a fast-paced showcase of three finalist films at a time. After each screening, you’ll have the chance to vote for your favourites, helping decide which stories, techniques, and creative approaches resonate most. These sessions are designed to spark conversation about what’s possible (and what’s worth valuing) as AI transforms filmmaking, storytelling, and creative expression.
1:45 PM Interactive Inspiration
Arthur Machado, AI Creative Producer at Kōawa Studios (and independent practitioner), will share an inspirational story.
Arthur Machado, AI Creative Producer, Kōawa Studios
2:05 PM Session details to be confirmed
2:25 PM Panel Discussion: Universal Design and AI
How do we make sure AI-enabled creative tools, platforms, and experiences work for everyone — not just the default user? This panel explores the intersection of universal design and AI, looking at how accessibility, inclusion, and equity can be embedded from the start as AI becomes part of everyday creative and digital workflows. Join Sarah Elise Baker, Ingrid Jones and others to be announced for a practical conversation about designing with diverse needs in mind, the risks of bias and exclusion, and the opportunities for AI to expand participation and creative expression when it’s built responsibly.
Sarah Elise Baker, Head of Research and Associate Professor, Media Design School
Ingrid Jones, Partnership and Programme Development Lead, My Life My Voice
3:05 PM Afternoon Tea
Theme 4: AI in Creative Practices
3:35 PM Showcase of three AI Film Festival Entries
Experience the creativity and experimentation of the Aotearoa 1 Minute AI Film Festival with a fast-paced showcase of three finalist films at a time. After each screening, you’ll have the chance to vote for your favourites, helping decide which stories, techniques, and creative approaches resonate most. These sessions are designed to spark conversation about what’s possible (and what’s worth valuing) as AI transforms filmmaking, storytelling, and creative expression.
3:45 PM Interactive Learning Session: ‘Meatworld Vs Bitworld/13 Reasons Why’
Join Andy Blood for an interactive session designed to spark better, more human conversations about AI. Using specially designed packs of playing cards, “Meatworld vs Bitworld / 13 Reasons Why” invites participants to explore AI’s real-world impacts, assumptions, and trade-offs through guided prompts and discussion. Expect a practical, engaging format that helps groups surface different perspectives, ask sharper questions, and build shared understanding—without the hype.
Andy Blood, Industry Fellow, Media Design School
4:05 PM Panel Discussion: AI in Creative practices
How is AI changing the way creative work is imagined, made, and shared — and what new skills and questions are emerging alongside it? This panel brings together perspectives from education, production, and creative innovation to explore how AI is showing up in real-world creative practice, from experimentation and workflow shifts to creative decision-making, authorship, and value. Featuring Ben Miller (Academic Director, UC Digital Screen and Kōawa Studios) and Midu Chandra (Seen Ventures) and more to be announced, the discussion will highlight practical examples and open up a clear-eyed conversation about what’s changing, what’s worth protecting, and what comes next for creators in Aotearoa.
Ben Miller, Academic Director, UC Digital Screen and Kōawa Studios
Midu Chandra, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Seen Ventures
4:35 PM Announcement of the Aotearoa 1 Minute AI Film Festival
Winner to be announced by Sam Witters, Director, Kōawa Studios, with an introduction from the New Zealand Film Commission.
Sam Witters, Director, Kōawa Studios
Day Two: Wellington
Details for Wellington coming soon!