AI and the Future of Creativity workshop series

Summary

The “AI and the Future of Creativity” workshop series is designed to cultivate AI literacy and foster meaningful dialogue between creative practitioners, technologists, researchers, and the wider public. Through a combination of online and in-person sessions, the event equips participants with a foundational understanding of artificial intelligence, its applications in creative practice, and its broader societal implications.

The workshops aim to empower attendees to engage confidently and critically with AI technologies by exploring both their opportunities and limitations. Central to this is a focus on enhancing, rather than replacing, human creativity, supporting participants in developing adaptable, ethically informed, and resilient creative practices.

In addition, the programme promotes interdisciplinary collaboration and inclusive participation by creating space for shared inquiry, reflection, and hands-on experimentation. It highlights issues such as trust, accessibility, privacy, and sustainability in AI systems, while encouraging cooperative and transparent approaches to technological development. As part of an ongoing research project, the workshops also contribute to generating new insights, creative outputs, and resources that will support future education and innovation in this evolving field.

Highlights

The “AI and the Future of Creativity” workshop series brought together a vibrant and diverse community of artists, technologists, researchers, and members of the public to explore how artificial intelligence can enrich, rather than replace, human creativity. Delivered through a mix of online and in-person sessions, the programme created an inclusive and engaging environment for participants to learn, experiment, and collaborate.

A key highlight was the opportunity for attendees to experience AI tools such as Midjourney in action, alongside critical discussions about their role in creative practice. Artists shared real-world insights into working with AI, offering candid reflections on both the possibilities and the challenges they have encountered. These conversations helped demystify AI technologies and encouraged participants to approach them with curiosity, confidence, and critical awareness.

The workshops also emphasised the importance of accessibility and inclusion. They showcased how AI can open new creative pathways for individuals whose artistic expression may have been limited by traditional tools or structures and how artists are challenging biases and lack of diversity in current AI image generation. In the “Mapping Positive Futures” session, which was hosted by Orleans House Gallery, Twickenham, participants used collage, words and drawing to co-create a collaborative ‘map’. Their imaginative visions explored aspects of AI and creativity, including how AI could become more equitable and sustainable, and support creative activities, communities and the making of new forms of art.

Importantly, the events fostered a strong sense of community and shared purpose. By bringing together people from different disciplines and backgrounds, they enabled meaningful dialogue around trust, ethics, and the future of human and AI collaboration. The insights and creative outputs generated will contribute to ongoing research and the development of future initiatives, ensuring that the conversation continues beyond the workshops.

Lessons learned

Key lessons learned from running and facilitating the event were that participants value a mix of practical demonstration and reflective discussion, and that this combination helps build confidence around AI use in creative practice.

The event also showed the importance of making space for diverse perspectives. Bringing together artists, technologists, researchers, and members of the public encouraged richer discussion, surfaced different concerns and hopes, and strengthened the sense that AI literacy is not only technical but also ethical, social, and creative.

Another clear lesson was that hands-on, accessible formats work well for opening up complex topics. Sessions that introduced tools, explained how AI works, and invited discussion helped demystify the technology and made it easier for participants to engage critically and constructively.

Finally, the workshops reinforced the value of creating a safe, inclusive, and collaborative environment. Participants were more willing to share ideas, ask questions, and imagine future possibilities when the setting supported openness, curiosity, and mutual respect.

Outcomes & outputs

• Four workshops delivered on the theme of “AI and the Future of Creativity”.

• A mixed programme of online and in-person engagement, widening access for different audiences.

• Increased AI literacy among participants through introductions to AI concepts, tools, and applications in creative practice.

• Critical discussion of the opportunities and challenges of AI in the creative sector.

• Direct engagement with artists using AI in their practice, including a roundtable discussion.

• Demonstrations and discussion of generative AI tools, including Midjourney, to support understanding of creative possibilities.

• Participant reflection on trust, ethics, privacy, accessibility, sustainability, and inclusion in relation to AI.

• Collaborative creative activity exploring possible futures for AI in the arts.

• A set of workshop discussions, insights, and ideas that can inform future research and future events.

• A collaborative agreement with Orleans House Gallery for research, and impact on AI and creativity for the next 12 months.

• Strengthened interdisciplinary connections between artists, technologists, researchers, and the public.

• Research data and feedback gathered as part of the associated research project, after having sought RHUL’s ethical approval (Reference 979) and participant consent.

• A foundation for future knowledge exchange, public engagement, and creative experimentation around AI.