AI and the Arts: What Does this Mean For Our Creative Future?

The Brighton Festival is bringing an experimental setup to Projects Nile House on Tuesday, 19 May. The event, titled AI and the Arts: What Does this Mean For Our Creative Future?, is scheduled for 17:30 in the Globe Room on Nile Street. Rather than a traditional panel where the audience stays silent, this session uses the Long Table format. Created by Lois Weaver, this approach treats a public debate like a dinner party conversation. It’s an experimental forum where artists, academics, and anyone attending can engage in an open dialogue, turning a complex discussion about technology into a form of collective performance.

The core of the evening revolves around the impact of Generative AI on the creative world. To help navigate this, several experts from the University of Sussex will be participating, bringing perspectives from cognitive science, digital humanities, and the arts. The group includes Dr Cécile Chevalier, Dr Beatrice Fazi, Dr Irene Fubara-Manuel, Dr Chris Kiefer, Dr Robyn Waller, and Dan William. They are set to explore how GenAI is currently reshaping artistic practices, looking at the tension between the democratisation of knowledge and the financial or professional costs that these technologies often place on individual artists. It’s a look at how the role of the creator might be transformed as these tools become more integrated into everyday work.

For those interested in the intersection of technology and culture, the debate aims to move beyond generalisations. The conversation will touch on the practicalities of how artists adapt to new tools and what the long-term implications are for the creative future. It is happening right in the heart of Brighton at Nile House, making it accessible for locals finishing their workday. Tickets are available at £15.00 for standard entry, with a £10.00 concession rate. It’s a structured opportunity to hear from people deeply embedded in both the technical and creative sides of the AI shift, providing context on the current state of the industry.