Artificial Intelligence: A Creative’s Worst Nightmare or a Dream Come True? ›

It's spooky season, and when it comes to the arts scene, artificial intelligence is the bogeyman hiding in the shadows, giving artists and arts-serving organizations nightmares.

"It's very unnerving for artists, including visual artists, writers, filmmakers, photographers and more, as computer generated content moves into creative spaces," explains Kathleen Bell, a community cultural coordinator for the City of St. Albert. "We knew we needed to tackle the subject at the City's next Arts Exchange-not only is it a hot topic, but it's also a truly meaningful one for the work of creatives in our community."

Known colloquially as AI, artificial intelligence is, perhaps, the buzziest word of 2024 and the fall Arts Exchange is here to give it some context. A bi-annual networking and educational series designed to address some of the challenges common to local creatives and cultural groups, Arts Exchange has invited Stephanie Enders, the Chief Delivery Officer from the Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute (AMII), to speak to some of the fears around AI in the creative industries, and some of the opportunities.

"Stephanie is a great choice because her background is in arts and cultural management," says Bell. "She shares a deep love of the arts, so she can walk us through the subject with an understanding of the important work our artists do in the community."

According to Bell, the presentation will share how artists and arts organizations can use AI to their advantage, leaning into a "if you can't beat them, join them" philosophy.

"There's lots of ways AI can support creative work," says Bell, "especially in areas where there might not be a ton of expertise in a one-person or volunteer-based operation, but the task is a necessity in terms of getting the end product to market-things like press releases, grant writing or composing social media posts. AI can support creatives and not-for-profits in all these areas and more. Stephanie is going to open those doors for us and enlighten us on where AI can help, not hinder, the arts."

Arts Exchange welcomes artists, arts organizations, not-for-profits organizations, and culture and recreational groups to the event. "Even if you're just curious, or a passionate art supporter, or a student in art classes and simply want to know more about AI, please join us for this discussion."

And bring your questions too! After the presentation, Enders will settle in with Arts Exchange host and local improviser, sketch comedian and arts journalist, Paul Blinov, to answer queries from the audience in a Q&A session.

"AMII gets hundreds of speaker requests a year and we are grateful they are choosing to share their knowledge with us," says Bell. "Stephanie's unique ability to translate complex AI concepts into actionable strategies has made her a prominent voice in discussions on AI's role in the future and we are very excited to bring this opportunity for a deeper dive to St. Albert's residents."

AI and the Arts is taking place on Tuesday, November 5 at the Arden Theatre. For more information and to register, please visit the Arts Exchange event page

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