Everything you always
wanted to know about AI
Tuesday, May 5
12:30 | ON SITE | Community & Inclusion
- Matthias Buehler (Founder & CTO, vrbn
- Reka Kaloczy (Production & Business Development Producer, Strategic Advisor)
- Ben Lock (Head of Production Strategy, Moonvalley)
- Agon Ushaku (POLYGRAIL, FMX)
We've all heard about Ethics in AI. But how conscious are we about the indirect impact of our own choice of interacting with AI? If our Art is supposed to benefit and inspire others, we must focus on a healthy and sustainable methodology for its creation process.
Can Computers Create Art?
Lessons from Art History
14:30 | ON SITE | The Road Ahead
- Aaron Hertzman (Principal Scientist at Adobe Research
Can AI algorithms make art and be considered artists? Aaron Hertzman argues that art is a social phenomenon. However, AI, like past art technologies, will change the way we make and understand art – for better or for worse.
The Human Craft Behind
Generative Video for VFX
17:00 | ON SITE | The Road Ahead
- Ben Lock (Head of Production Strategy, Moonvalley)
Ben Lock will deliver a grounded, forward-looking talk, informed by hands-on work with studios and facilities integrating generative video technology into real pipelines. The goal is simple: replace hype with operational clarity, and help the industry get ready for the next phase of studio production.
18:15 | ON SITE | Industry Exchange
- David Cordon (Producer | Writer/Director)
- Kim Davidson (President of SideFX and VES Board Chair)
- Steve MacPherson (CTO, Milk Visual Effects)
- Kate Xagoraris (Pipeline and Production Coordinator at Strada XR | VFX Professor | VES Board of Managers Member, Strada XR)
Instead of looking at AI as a threat to artistic talent, consider its possibilities with the right guardrails in place. This panel will explore the path from The films of Georges Méliès, widely regarded as the “godfather of special effects”, to today, touching on key VFX milestones, and theorize where the industry is headed next in the context of AI.
Wednesday, May 6
What the Studios Say:
Using AI on Your Reel
12:30 |ON SITE | Education Today & Tomorrow
- Zoltan G (Producer & Educator, Cradle - Breda University of Applied Sciences)
- Nira Bozkurt (AI Officer, Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg)
- Stuart Penn (VFX Supervisor, Framestore)
- José A Rodriguez (Director of Business Development, Voxel School - Centro Universitario de Artes Digitales)
- Saint Walker (VFX Postgraduate Leader)
How do companies want schools and universities to prepare for the future? Is there an emerging consensus about how new students should deal with AI tools? Let’s ask a group of educators and recruiters – including VFX luminary Stuart Penn (“Project Hail Mary”, “Gravity”, “The Dark Knight”).
The End of the Beginning:
AI and the Next Act for VFX
14:30-18:15 | ON SITE | Artificial Intelligence
- Ben Grossman (CEO, Magnopus)
- Mohsen Mousavi (Head of Visual Pioneering, Eyeline)
- Juan Salazar (Creative Director, Foundry)
- Mike Seymour (Co-Founder, FXGuide)
Four top-notch experts discuss the state of Artificial Intelligence, including Ben Grossmann in the FMX track of the same name: Ben Grossman (Magnopus), whose work spans projects such as "The Lion King" and the immersive experience "The Wizard of Oz at Sphere".
Friday, May 8
10:30 | ONLINE | The Road Ahead
- Kimball Thurston (CTO, Wētā FX)
Kimball Thurston will explore some of the issues around AI, and how we are attempting to provide artist-centric tools that improve the ability to deliver movies. Beyond image generation, Kimball will also touch on how to get precise artist control of images with the quality demanded by cinema.