TV Academy, Emerging Media Peer Group

Note: All Session Videos from this event

Complete Videos of All Sessions are Now Posted on Session Pages Below

Special Track for:

"Television Academy Emerging Media Peer Group Members"

Special Thanks:

Joanna Popper, Media and Technology Executive, Executive Producer

and

Eric Shamlin, EVP Global Head of Entertainment, Media.Monks; Governor, Television Academy Emerging Media Peer Group

Christina Lee Storm, Founder & CEO, ASHER XR; Governor, Television Academy Emerging Media Peer Group

The Evening Keynote Roundtables

Monday, July 22nd

8:00 PM - 8:50 PM - Eastern Time Zone

The AI & Entertainment Innovation Roundtable

While AI has been front and center in the entertainment and media industries for more than a decade, enabling on the one hand predictive and qualitative analytics and then serving as the backbone of major creative innovation in feature film, advertising, and the cloud on the other. But now, with the establishment of “Generative AI,” that process of innovation and disruption is unfolding at an accelerated and unprecedented rate. In this roundtable, we bring together executives from major entertainment and technology organizations who are at the forefront of that innovation transformation. We thank them for their time and very much look forward to their commentary.

Speakers:

Phil Wiser, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Paramount Global

Samira Panah Bakhtiar, General Manager, Media & Entertainment, Games and Sports, Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Eliot Sakhartov, Business and Technology Strategist, Media and Entertainment, Microsoft

Michael Kaplan, Global Business Development. Generative AI, Media and Entertainment (M&E), NVIDIA

Seth Hallen, President, Hollywood Professional Association (HPA), Moderator

Speaker Bios and Session Information - Click Here

9:00 PM - 9:50 PM - Eastern Time Zone

Session I:

AI and Safety: Governance and Restraint vs. Industry Self-Regulation

AI didn’t arrive in the past 18 months. For nearly twenty years, AI has steadily become a technological societal force, serving as a backbone to the Medical Imaging community, directing traffic on the internet and regulating electrical power grids across the country and making possible self-driving cars. However, with the arrival of Generative AI and the anticipation of AGI, Artificial General Intelligence, and massive surge in technology investment and company valuations, there is deep concern that the exuberance of discovery will lead to an unwelcome future. We welcome this conversation.

Speakers:

Richard Kerris, General Manager, Media and Entertainment, NVIDIA

Dr. Rumman Chowdhury, United States Science Envoy, Artificial Intelligence, CEO and co-Founder, Humane Intelligence

Mary Hamilton, Managing Director, Technology Innovation, Americas, Accenture

Dan Hendrycks, Director, Center for AI Safety

Dr. Megan Ma, Associate Director, CodeX and Law, Science, Technology Program, Stanford Law School, Moderator

Speaker Bios and Session Information - Click Here

Tuesday, July 23rd, 2024

8:00 PM - 8:50 PM - Eastern Time Zone

Session I:

Brands & Agencies as Global Studios: The Medium is the Message

The Medium is the Message has truly outpaced the growth and influence of our traditional media powers. While the “Super Bowl” was indeed the most watched TV event of the year, the everyday reach of “Social Networks,” plus YouTube channels and others in “absolute numbers” far outstrip our traditional media system. One might conclude that in determining consumer reach and engagement, the creative combination of Global Brands, Global Agencies powered across the Social Networks, Websites and Mobile enablers, with the added possibilities of AI, XR, AR and Live Events create what we might consider as deployable Global Studios. Such Global Studios might be “Ad Hoc” or transitory, but they represent a paradigm shift. It is not an exaggeration to suggest that the consumer reach of this “Modern Media Plan” will consistently reach into the hundreds of Millions.

Speakers:

Valerie Madden, Creative Director of Marketing Innovation, Amazon MGM Studios, Prime Video & NBC Universal Alum

Melissa Bolton-Klinger, Award Winning Director, former, Group Creative Director - Studios, Paramount

Adam Simon, Managing Director, IPG Media Lab

Shannon Pruitt, Global Chief Marketing Officer, Stagwell Brand Performance Network

Greg Kahn, President and CEO, GK Digital Ventures, Moderator

Speaker Bios and Session Information - Click Here

9:00 PM - 9:50 PM - Eastern Time Zone

Session II:

AI and the Crisis of Creative Rights and Disinformation: Deep Fakes, Ethics and the Law
Even with the successful resolution of the Entertainment industry “Guilds” strike of 2023, there remains an ongoing fear that "artificial intelligence poses an existential threat to creative professions." The core AI issue sparking debate in Hollywood is not only based on compensation and creative control production. Deep fake technology in particular has raised concern about potential harmful uses, such as political disinformation, revenge porn, and misuse of intellectual property. Concerns about disinformation are particularly high in an election year. At the same time, many “creatives” tout the game changing benefits this technology can bring to artistic and other endeavors, such as educational opportunities, enhanced freedom of expression and reduced barriers to entry. This panel will discuss these competing concerns and whether existing legal frameworks, such as right of publicity, copyright, and existing regulations, are sufficient to address this powerful technology.

Speakers:
Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator, SAG-AFTRA
Ilke Demir, Sr. Staff Research Scientist, Intel Labs
Ellen L. Weintraub, Commissioner, Federal Election Commission

Rob Rosenberg, former Executive Vice President and General Counsel, Showtime Networks
Lisa Oratz, Senior Counsel, Perkins Coie, Moderator

Speaker Bios and Session Information - Click Here

Wednesday, July 24th, 2024

8:00 PM - 9:00 PM - Eastern Time Zone

Session I:

AI and The Future of Creativity: Insights from Reid AI

How will the creative process change when people can collaborate with digital twins of themselves? Exploring this question was one of the motivations behind the Reid AI project-- a digital twin built to replicate the thinking and cadence of entrepreneur, venture capitalist and AI innovator Reid Hoffman. Reid AI is built using a custom GPT trained on Reid Hoffman's articles, podcast interviews, speeches and books. The video is created using the platform Hour One, and the voice using ElevenLabs. This session led by Ben Relles will feature a conversation with Reid Hoffman on the impact of AI on creativity, and what Reid learned from creating an AI version of himself. In addition it will feature perspectives from the team that created the project, along with a perspective on AI and Hollywood in a discussion with Reid AI.

Speakers:

Reid Hoffman, Co-founder LinkedIn, Co-founder Inflection, Venture Capitalist, Author

Ben Relles, Content Strategy, Office of Reid Hoffman

Parth Patil, AI Specialist, Office of Reid Hoffman

Oren Aharon, CEO and Founder, Hour One

Margaret Burris, Producer, Unscripted Executive

Reid AI, Reid Hoffman's AI generated digital twin

Speaker Bios and Session Information - Click Here

Tuesday, July 23rd, 2024

Noon – 12:50 PM - Eastern Time Zone

Session I:

Architects of AI and Entertainment: VFX/CGI – XR – AR – Film & Branding to Live Events

AI has been an evolving resource for Hollywood creatives for the past twenty years, going all the way back to “Jurassic Park” and “T2: Judgment Day.” You might call it a “Superpower.” AI in the hands of the “Architects of Hollywood” has been like giving a magic wand to a magician. From Feature Films, Live Experiences, Games and Advertising, the power to imagine has just been expanded exponentially. And an almost equal power has been given to the desktops of millions of the next generation of “Pixar and Walt Disney Imagineers” working at home worldwide.
Speakers:

Eric Shamlin, EVP Global Head of Entertainment, Media.Monks

Boo Wong, former, Director, Live Entertainment, Unity Technologies

Dave Clark, Award-Winning, Film Maker & Creative Director

Tyler Cohen, Creative Director, Experience, Tool

John Canning, Director Developer Relations - Creators, AMD, Moderator

Speaker Bios and Session Information - Click Here

Session II:

Session Hosted by SAG-AFTRA

The Clones Have Arrived! What You Need to Know

In the entertainment industry, technology should be the tool, not the star. In 2023, SAG-AFTRA and WGA battled AI in an historic dual-strike that resulted in groundbreaking protections. But the fight is far from over as Capitol Hill and state houses across the country grapple with what's coming. What protections has SAG-AFTRA achieved in its collective bargaining agreements? What do existing state laws say? What is coming in the states? What is being proposed by the federal government?

Speakers:

Jessica Johnson, National Director of Entertainment Contracts, SAG-AFTRA
Doug Mirell, Partner, Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman & Machtinger LLP
Sue-Anne Morrow, National Director of Contract Strategic Initiatives & Podcasts, SAG-AFTRA

Dade Hayes, Business Editor, Deadline, Moderator
Speaker Bios and Session Information - Click Here

Session III:

Generative AI and Cinematic Hollywood: The Transformation of the Media Industry

While full AI video production hasn’t quite arrived, each week it seems that OpenAI debuts another generation of Sora and Pika one ups them with Audio software to lip-synch with the new video clips and another billion dollar investment is announced for a Virtual Humanoid company. And that was all in a three day stretch in March of 2024. And that’s not counting the Pro AI Music Generators from Google, Adobe and Meta and to paraphrase Stability AI’s CEO, “Emad Mostaque, "It has become possible to imagine an AI-generated new season of "Game of Thrones.” It with that thought in mind that we address the future of AI and Hollywood with our esteemed panel.

Speakers:

Ted Schilowitz, Visionary & Futurist, formerly Paramount Global & 20th Century Fox

Scy Heidekamp, Head of Product, Cuebric

Diana Williams, CEO & Co-founder, Kinetic Energy Entertainment

Leslie Shannon, Head of Ecosystem and Trend Scouting, Nokia, Moderator

Speaker Bios and Session Information - Click Here

1 PM – 1:50 PM - Eastern Time Zone

Session I:

As Johnny Rotten Might Say: AI Music – Bollocks Sí or Bollocks No?

Some say, AI is different. This technology may be black magic and maybe they’re right. But what about Sampling and Looping, Sequencers, Drum Machines and Beat Makers, Software synths and the Moog. How about the first time you became aware of the Wah Wah pedal? Does the music of Hendrix, Clapton or Zappa come to mind? The magical world of “Music and Technology” has enabled and enhanced the greatest of our popular musicians and producers for more than half a century. What is the role of the “Recorder Producer?” What about “The Wall of Sound?” What are the Beatles without George Martin, the master of “Audio Wizardry!” What would Johnny Rotten say about “Music and AI.” Let’s discuss.

Speakers:

Gerald Casale, Artist, Musician, founding Member, DEVO

Daniel Rowland, Music Producer, Head of Strategy, LANDR Audio

Jessica Powell, CEO, Audioshake

Dustin Blank, Head of Partnerships, ElevenLabs

Thomas Sachson, General Manager, Dropness LLC; former, Head of Monetization and Strategic Partnerships, Sony Music Immersive Studios

Steve R. Masur, Partner, Raines Feldman Littrell LLP, Moderator

Speaker Bios and Session Information - Click Here

Session II:

Gen AI Cinema & Hollywood Video: A Director, Producer & Critic’s Roundtable

The entertainment industry has a new category of film to discuss and analyze, one that did not exist prior to 2023. It is almost remarkable that “Generative AI Cinema” is now a category of “Creativity” that we must begin to take seriously. All through the year 2022 AI Image Generators began to improve and in 2023 the images began to move. It would make Thomas Edison and Auguste and Louis Lumière proud. And the practitioners of “Gen AI Cinema,” the directors and technologists, today’s AI storytellers are creating amazing short films and video experiments. Our roundtable today will bring together a group of “Creatives” that are breaking the ground for what will surely be the “Hollywood of the 21^st Century.”

Speakers:

Quinn Halleck, Director, Tool (“Sigma_001”)

Katya Alexander, President, Pillars (AI Studio) & Freelance Indie Producer
Momo Wang, Animation & Creative Director, Illumination Entertainment

Jason Zada, founder, Secret Level

Max Einhorn, Gen AI Producer, Creator, "True Crime AI", Moderator

Speaker Bios and Session Information - Click Here

Session IV:

The Complexity of AI & Art – Imagination of the Human + Machine: Cinematic Arts - Media Arts - Fashion Design

What does it mean when an artificial intelligence can dream? What does it mean to create art fabricated by neural networks rather than solely human hands and hearts. What does our future hold? Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon, is a magnificent and devastating portrait of grandeur and privilege of Europe of the 1700s and in equal measure, we can look to the magnificent treasure of Antoni Gaudi’s architecture of Barcelona, and both might be thought of as progenitors of the AI Art we aspire to today. While Generative AI art is like opening a door to a limitless supply of “Digital Art,” this new world of art by “Human and Machine” will be no less distinct and intriguing than any era of art which has come before.

Speakers:

Angus Kneale, Chief Creative, Preymaker (co-founder, The Mill)

Michael Olaye, EVP, Managing Director, Hero Digital

Amelia Winger-Bearskin, Banks Family Chair of AI and the Arts, University of Florida, Digital Worlds Institute

Johannes Saam, Futurist/Creative Technologist, Framestore/atara.xyz

Annie Hanlon, Co-founder, Playbook PLBK, Moderator

Speaker Bios and Session Information - Click Here

2 PM – 2:50 PM - Eastern Time Zone

Session I:

The Digital Brand & Advertising Experience: AI + 3D + XR + Holography + Metaverse

The combination of visual and electronic platforms and digital creativity have completely transformed the role of global brands in public consciousness. Or perhaps it’s the other way around; global brands have exposed technology and creativity to the world. Either way, between AI, 3D, XR and Spatial Realities, a universe of magical experiences and creative environments are capturing the imagination of 100s of Millions of viewers on mobile, video as well as experiential platforms. We are reaching a next level; we may be breaking the “Creative Sound Barrier.”

Speakers:

Dominic Collins, CEO, Darabase

Albert Thompson, Managing Director, Digital Innovation, Walton Isaacson

Jessica Berger, Senior Vice President, Innovation, Publicis Media

Fredrik Frizell, Founder, Buoy Studios

Clayton Weishaar, Creative Director, Wrld Space

Elizabeth Kiehner, Global Chief Growth Officer, Nortal, Moderator

Speaker Bios and Session Information - Click Here

Session III:

Cinematic AI: A World of Tools and Technology

The operative word is “Creativity!” While AI may provide amazing tools to enhance, expand, accelerate and even, to use a troublesome notion, to “Synthesize” the creative process, at its core, Cinematic AI is about “Storytelling,” and at least for the moment, the human touch is very much “At the Controls” of assembling an artistic cinematic vision. While the creation of some musical tasks and even individual images can approach human level creativity, for the moment, “Storytelling” is a bit more complex. In this session, we will hear from creators and technologists who are at the forefront in the application of “Cinematic AI Tools.”

Speakers:

Evo Heyning, CEO, Realitycraft

Emily Golden, Head of Growth Marketing, Runway

Vova Ovsiienko, Business Development Executive, Respeecher

Russell Palmer, CEO & Co-Founder of CyberFilm AI

Joanna Popper, Former Chief Metaverse Officer, CAA, Moderator

Speaker Bios and Session Information - Click Here

3 PM – 3:50 PM - Eastern Time Zone

Session I:

Hollywood VFX Pros Discuss Virtual Humans & GenAI: Feature Film Perfection, Actor Longevity, Deep Fakes, & Impact of Generative AI

How good is the current state of Generative AI? Let’s hear first-hand from an All-Star Team of Hollywood VFX professionals. Hollywood has been using AI in film and video production for any number of years, but now the “Next Generation of GenAI” has arrived and it’s all over YouTube and Social Media. There are Virtual Human Influencers, Models, even Virtual Girlfriends. And what do they see coming down the road, in 2025 and 2026? And how will Generative AI be merged with the most powerful software in the VFX toolbox? This roundtable should be fun.

Speakers:

Akira Thompson, Group Creative Director, Creative Technology at PXP Studios, Publicis Groupe

Fatimah Abdullah, Head of Studio, BWA Studios

Sean Cushing, co-founder, Cantina Creative

Remington Scott, Founder, CEO and Chief Architect, Hyperreal® Inc., VFX, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS

Lori H. Schwartz, Founder & CEO, StoryTech, Moderator

Speaker Bios and Session Information - Click Here

Session II:

The Digital Brand & Advertising Experience, Part II: AI + 3D + XR + Holography + Metaverse

Speakers:

Nigel Tierney, Executive Creative Director, Yahoo

Melissa Eccles, former, Head of West Coast, TikTok Creative Lab,

Darlene Liebman, founder and CEO, Creative Humans

Elav Horwitz, EVP, Global Head of Applied Innovation, McCann Worldgroup

Nik Kleverov, Chief Creative Officer, Native Foreign

Mark Kapczynski, President, Storymill, Moderator

Speaker Bios and Session Information - Click Here

4 PM – 4:40 PM - Eastern Time Zone

Session I:

The Best in Virtual Humans and Synths: Influencers, Performers & Companions

Call them Synths; call them Virtual Human Celebrities, influencers and performers going by names such as Audrey Hepburn Digital, Lil Miquela, Lu do Magalu, Barbi, Guggimon, Any Malu or Milla Sofia. According to her Instagram account, Lil Miquela is a half-Spanish, half-Brazilian 19 year old Robot living in LA with 2.6m followers. Lu do Magalu, another Brazilian influencer has 6.8M followers. She is used by Brazilian retailer, “Magazine Luiza” for various campaigns and has partnered with big brands, including Adidas, McDonald's and Red Bull. There are AI Internet Girlfriend platforms named Replika, Candy AI and DreamGF and Virtual Singers and Performers are in the pipeline with the backing of major organizations. What are we to make of this phenomenon? “Barbi” afterall started out as a “Children’s Doll” over a half century ago and now as a “Movie Star” and “Virtual Human” has become a “Global Phenomenon.” With that in mind, perhaps the “Cultural Narrative” of “Synths” and “Virtual Humans as Celebrities” has yet to be decided.

Speakers:

Max Einhorn, Gen AI Producer, Creator, "True Crime AI"

Isaac Bratzel, CEO, AvatarOS

Sally Slade, Lead XR Technical Artist, Genies

Eduardo Yeh, CEO, The Digital Audrey Hepburn Collection

Sarah Parnicky, Innovation and Operations Director, Mawari

Matthew Chavira, Business Development Manager, Hanson Robotics, “Sophia"

Marc Scarpa, Co-Founder, DeFiance Media (Virtual Human News Anchors), Moderator

Speaker Bios and Session Information - Click Here

Session II:

AI Music Monetization: DeepMind’s Dreamtrack, The Grimes AI Strategy: Let’s Go 50-50%

There’s no way to slow down the explosion of AI created music. It’s here, it’s now and everyone, young and old have become AI Sound Engineers by the hundreds of thousands. So as the ocean of new music arrives, the idea of “AI Music & Monetization” has now become front and center. For example, Google’s DeepMind recently unveiled DreamTrack, an AI system allowing customizable music generation via text prompts. Their partnership with the music label EMI hints at future platforms streamlining rights-cleared AI music tailored to user taste. Such tools could enable independent musicians, creative agencies, and brands to license bespoke soundtracks on-demand. Along the same lines, the famous musician Grimes is exploring equally disruptive models, granting fans collective ownership in her AI-assisted compositions through NFTs and decentralization. It’s only the start, but with music AI software getting better and better, the market is ripe for legal monetization strategies to emerge.

Speakers:

Daouda Leonard, founder and CEO, CreateSafe

Anthony Ramirez, Partner, Technology Transactions Group, Morrison Foerster

Alex Mitchell, CEO, Boomy

Karen Allen, CEO & Co-Founder, Infinite Album

Joanna Popper, Former Chief Metaverse Officer, CAA, Moderator

Speaker Bios and Session Information - Click Here

5:00 PM – 5:50 PM - Eastern Time Zone

Session I:

The Elvis Act: The Tennessee Deep Fake 2024 Law

Is this the first of many, a prelude to a “Federal Law” or an interesting step to secure the “Individual Rights in the face of Deep Fakes,” serving as a bellwether for future legislation, but ultimately not the final word on the subject. Tennessee’s “Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security (ELVIS) Act” passed earlier by their state legislature this year and exclusively limited to Tennessee residents is directed specifically to the issues of “Deep Fakes” and to the protection of Recording Artists and others impacted by “Voice Cloning” and other AI technologies. In this session, our speakers will address the specifics of “The Elvis Act,” with the thought that this piece of legislation is likely a “Canary in a Coal Mine,” one of the first legislative steps that may indicate of how public and political sympathies could be harbingers of AI legislation and legal decisions coming in the future.

Speakers:

Christopher Kenneally, Sr. Director, Content Marketing, Copyright Clearance Center, Moderator

Edward Klaris, Managing Partner, Klaris Law

Angela L. Dunning, Partner, Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP

Kevin J. Greene, John J. Schumacher Chair, Professor of Law, Southwestern Law School

David C. Johnson, Partner, Lippes Mathias LLP

Speaker Bios and Session Information - Click Here

Session II:

The NextGen Hollywood Writers Room and Creator
Are you a writer? Are you concerned that your craft will be replaced by “Synthetic Creators?” Do you want to know how best to ethically use AI in your writers room? This panel of distinguished experts will discuss the nextgen writers room and the ethical considerations of using AI in the creative industry, particularly regarding intellectual property and authorship. We'll delve into the practical ways AI tools are enhancing creativity and efficiency for writers, directors, and producers and discuss implications of uncredited use of creative works. Panelists will share their best prompting tips providing valuable insights for anyone navigating the intersection of technology and creativity.

Speakers:

Eve Weston, Expert XR Narrative & Experience Design Consultant, Exelauno
Rosemary Lokhorst, CEO, BADASS Studios Ltd

Petula Miller, Screenwriter and novelist, "Writers League of Texas 2024 Fellow"

Evette Vargas, CoFounder, Indigo Reign Films

Christina Lee Storm, founder & CEO, ASHER XR & PLAYBOOK; Governor, Television Academy Emerging Media Peer Group, Moderator

Speaker Bios and Session Information - Click Here

Wednesday, July 24th, 2024

Noon – 12:50 PM - Eastern Time Zone

Session I:

AI, Cinematic Artists and Virtual Production: The Future of Independent Cinema

Indie filmmakers always find a way. However, in a world of fractured attention focused on instant content and big tentpoles, it’s increasingly challenging for these artists and their films to find a way to break through. For rising filmmakers and production teams, AI and virtual production has changed the game: access to technology and equipment has never been broader. What once could only be made by a major studio with funding can now be done in one’s backyard. This has opened the door to amazing innovation and opportunities. Filmmakers today have an incredible arsenal of tools at their disposal to innovate in the space. In this roundtable, we welcome leaders in the space of Cinematic Film Production.

Speakers:

Ty Roberts, CEO, FanTracks; former CTO, Universal Music Group, Moderator
Quinn Hallec, Director/Producer, Tool (“Sigma_001”)
Dade Orgeron, Vice President, 3D Innovation, Shutterstock

Musixmatch, Speaker to be announced
Runway, Speaker to be announced

Additional speaker to be announced

Speaker Bios and Session Information - Click Here

Session III:

“Is AI Music the Piracy Machine? As Brian May has Stated, “It’s Gonna Get Very Weird Very Quick”

Let's take an AI Music test. Google “Best in AI Music Deep Fakes” and you will be taken on an amazing tour of “Music Imposters,” including “Deep Fakes” of Britney Spears, Frank Sinatra singing obscene Rap Lyrics; the infamous Drake/The Weeknd, “Heart on My Sleeve” having become a massive hit in a few days and Freddie Mercury singing "All I Want for Christmas,” a “Perfect Clone” of a Queen performance. And the technology behind AI song generators are becoming dangerously professional. It’s no wonder that Brian May, Queen’s lead guitarist and song writer is quoted having said, “It’s Gonna Get Very Weird Very Quick.” Music is always the artform first impacted by the combination of technology and the Internet because it does not require extensive bandwidth. In this session we bring together some of the best in the music business.

Speakers:

David Hughes, Strategic Music Industry Consultant, former CTO, RIAA, VP Strategy, Sony Music, Moderator

Chris Horton, SVP Strategic Technology, Universal Music Group’s (UMG)

BT, Producer, Composer, Technologist, Soundlab.AI

Additional speakers to be announced

Speaker Bios and Session Information - Click Here

Session IV:

Virtual Human Video: The Online Retail & Consumer Facing Experience: The Impact of Advanced Intelligence and Technology

The integration of advanced intelligence and technology into retail and consumer-facing experiences is revolutionizing the way we shop, interact with brands and their online support, and make purchasing decisions. As virtual humans and AI-powered systems become more sophisticated, they're transforming customer service, product recommendations, and even in-store navigation. This panel will explore the current state of the art in virtual human technology and its impact on the retail and complex online interaction, as well as examine future trends and challenges in this rapidly evolving field.

Speakers:

Natalie Monbiot, Head of Strategy, Hour One

Guy Gadney, Co-founder & CEO, Charisma.ai

Shara Senderoff, Co-Founder, Futureverse

John Gauntt, Host, The Culture and Code Podcast, Moderator

Speaker Bios and Session Information - Click Here

1 PM – 1:50 PM - Eastern Time Zone

Session I:

AI Music and Creatives: A Relationship of Abundance and Trepidation

For the musician, solo artist, producer or A&R executive, the arrival in all its glory of “AI technology” is akin to the second coming of Napster. Napster arrived in 1999 and within a year or so effectively wiped out the “Record Industry” as it was then fashioned. And it has taken a couple of generations of musicians and technology to assemble a new and “more or less” thriving industry. Today, there is a massive listening audience, well designed and music friendly internet and mobile platforms, year-round and flourishing “Live Performance” opportunities and tons of “Merch.” And into this mix has arrived AI, the technology “Superpower” that makes “Synths” and "Drum Kits” look primitive. In this roundtable of “Creatives” we will explore our hesitancy to embrace AI, come clean in discussing the obvious dangers of copyright and “Deep Fake” while also grappling with the “Power of AI” as a “Creativity Tool.”

Speakers:

Eímear Noone, Award Winning, Composer, Conductor and Producer

Phil Quist, Music & Emerging Tech Agent, Creative Artists Agency (CAA)

Diaa El All, co-founder and CEO, Soundful

Ted Cohen, Managing Partner, TAG Strategic

Dr. Martin Clancy, Musician, Academic & founding Chair, IEEE Global AI ethics Arts Committee, Moderator

Speaker Bios and Session Information - Click Here

Session III:

The AI Breakthrough: Establishing a New Art Form - Algorithmic, Poetic Computation and Digital Art

What does it mean for art when creativity intersects unbounded computation? New frontiers emerge. As algorithms dance with imagination, revolutionary artifacts are the result. We witness math-derived beauty, code-constructed consciousness, silicon muses. The origins of these ideas trace to pioneers like John Whitney animating to electronic beats in 1960s Los Angeles or Frieder Nake algorithmically auto-drawing alongside Andy Warhol's Pop Art ascent. And today, we must look to and thank Zach Lieberman of MIT, for his seminal contribution to the field of algorithmic, poetic computation, and digital experiences. Today, there are an unlimited number of artists and adventurers experimenting in algorithmic and poetic computation. In this session we honor this magnificent tradition.

Speakers:

Anna Marie Piersimoni, Artist & Adjunct Professor, Department of Cinema and Television Arts, California State University, Northridge, Moderator

Juliana Loh, Award-winning Immersive Artist/Designer

Noah Taublieb, Sound Designer, Music Composer & Audio Editor

Dan Novy, Assistant Professor of Emerging Media Arts, Johnny Carson Center, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Patrick Donoghue, AI Innovation Leader | Emmy Award-Winning Creator | Expert in VR & AR

Tranel Bland, Senior Virtual Production Stage Operator, NEP/ Halon / Lux Machina

Speaker Bios and Session Information - Click Here

2 PM – 2:50 PM - Eastern Time Zone

Session I:

AI & The Hollywood Writer & Director: Man-Made/Machine Made - Screenwriter vs. The Machine

Let’s see what the expert say. In this session of professional Hollywood screenwriters, directors and producers, we will breakdown the AI Screenwriting and producing process. Our experts, all of whom are familiar with the best in AI Hollywood software, so that hopefully, will guarantee that the machine-made will be given a fighting chance. Compare and contrast. Let’s start out with a concept, “Create a Series of Prompts.” The AI is generally helpful in “Creating a first page, first breakdown of characters, first explanation of the arc. But what comes next? Can our experts “Prompt” the AI to approach the idea of “Storytelling?” What about “Human Emotion.” Is the professional writer wasting time “Prompting Deep Thoughts” with a robot with limited imagination. Perhaps not. Perhaps the AI is stimulating our “Writer’s Roundtable.” What is the state of the art in “Professional” AI screenwriting.

Speakers:

Mark Goffman, Writer/Producer, The Umbrella Academy, Bull, Limitless

Mike Gioia, Co-Founder, Pickaxe

Catherine Clinch, Veteran TV Writer, Hunter, Jake & the Fat Man, Love Boat, Hart to Hart

Frank Deese, Associate Professor, Screenwriting, School of Film & Animation, Rochester Institute of Technology

Christian Cantrell, Writer, Former VP of Product, Stability AI

Monica Landers, Founder & CEO, StoryFit, Moderator

Speaker Bios and Session Information - Click Here

Session II:

Digital & AI Fashion and Beauty: The Designer + Virtual Humans + The Runway + Retail Experience

The fashion industry, which has always been a global and cultural trend setter, today with the explosive power and merger of the "AI, Design and Media Technologies," a fashion brand can dominate simultaneously “IRL" (In Real Life) and equally on “Social Media” as a form of entertainment. The Fashion Industry, uniquely among the creative arts, can innovate “Style, Personality and Identity” in AI and Spatial Environments like no others. In time, fashion brands may even establish “Virtual and Iconic Models & Avatars” and establish them as “Global Icons” and those future “Virtual Humans” might also perform as Musical Celebrities or “Reside in their own Metaverse.” The future of the AI Fashion will be nothing short of “Intriguing.”

Speakers:

Dmytro Kornilov, CEO and Co-Founder, FFFACE.ME

Metamorphix, Innovative Designer, Two-Time Winner, AI Fashion Week

Matthew Drinkwater, Head of London College of Fashion’s Fashion Innovation Agency

Jason Jercinovic, founder, UnLTD aka “Unlimited,” Moderator

Additional speaker to be announced

Speaker Bios and Session Information - Click Here

Session III:

Virtual Humans & AI: Advanced Design + Intelligence = Unique Levels of Complexity

In this session we will address the Intelligence and Design functions in the development of Virtual Humans. While other panels will focus on “Virtual Humans as Performers and Internet Personalities,” in this session we will explore the more profound issues of “Computer Intelligence” and “The Machine’s” ability to mimic human emotion and personality, verbal and vocal expression and respond in conversational interaction. Once a “Virtual Human” becomes “Conversant” as a mature human might, the role of this technology will quickly find a way into our daily life, from Virtual Human Co-Pilot as Educator, Colleague at work to companion in research and creative endeavors. The possibilities are quite frankly, limitless.

Speakers:

Remington Scott, Founder, CEO and Chief Architect, Hyperreal® Inc., VFX, THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE TWO TOWERS

Matthias Wittmann, Visual Effects Supervisor, Digital Domain (CGI, Benjamin Button)

Pat Pataranutaporn, Technologist & Researcher, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Additional speakers to be announced

Speaker Bios and Session Information - Click Here

3 PM – 3:50 PM - Eastern Time Zone

Session I:

Digital Design, Branding, Fashion & Retail: The Innovation Experience

Design and fashion have forever defined the cutting edge of cultural innovation and now with the explosion of “Digital Platforms” and consumer demand, the “World of Retail” has finally merged with “The Innovation Experience.” Every major brand and retailer is adapting to the reality of “Consumer Engagement + Immersive Technologies = The Retail Transformation.” From the multi-faceted ad campaigns to the online retail, including the In-Store experience, it’s a holistic strategy of design, technology, and engagement. In this session, we welcome the industry leaders.

Speakers:

Neha Singh, Founder & CEO, Obsess

Silke Meixner, Digital Customer Experience Strategy, ZS Associates

Bill Newell, CEO, SparX Works Inc., Moderator

Additional speakers to be announced

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I. Track One: AI: Artists of the 21st Century

II. Track Two: Virtual Humans and Robotics

III. Track Three: AI and Hollywood Production