UNESCO opens up a global debate on the impact of AI

Paris, October 11, 2023 – On Thursday 19 October, UNESCO will host the first UN conference on the impact of AI on filmmakers and the film industry, giving the floor to directors, productors, actors and AI experts.

UNESCO opens up a global debate on the impact of AI

What? High-level global conference addressing the issue of ethical use of AI in cinema
When? 19 October 2023 – 3pm to 5pm
Where? UNESCO headquarters (Room I), 125 Avenue de Suffren, 75007 Paris
Accreditation here

Recent heated discussions between Hollywood studios and actors highlighted that the use of generative artificial intelligence in cinema raises questions and concerns among many professionals in the sector.

In July 2023, global creators and performers demanded Creative rights in AI Proliferation in an Open Letter. National and regional movements across the world are also ongoing, including Un manifiesto para comprender y regular la I.A. generativa in Latin America and Spain. As the UN agency with a mandate for Culture and Science, and in line with its efforts to promote the ethical use of artificial intelligence, UNESCO is opening up a global debate on the impact of AI on filmmakers and the film industry.

On Thursday 19 October, the panellists will initiate the development of clear ethical guidelines for the use of AI in film production and other cultural and creative sectors, building on existing UNESCO principles on AI and creativity.

They will explore potential mechanisms to uphold intellectual property rights, put in place equitable revenue distribution for cultural content produced with AI, ensure that cultural diversity and representation are considered when AI is used to create or distribute film content, and strike a balance between harnessing the potential of AI for innovation and creativity and addressing the ethical and societal concerns it raises.

Programme:

3:00pm         Introduction by moderator Ms. Valériane Gauthier, TV host, France 24

3:05pm         Keynote by Mr. Duncan Crabtree-Ireland / USA (online participation),

Screen Actors Guild?American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA)

national executive director and chief negotiator

3:20pm         Introduction

Mr. Rizwan Ahmad / India
Director of the Instructional Media Centre at Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU)

Ms. Sarah Dearing / Canada
International Affiliation of Writers Guilds Secretariat
Mr. Michel Gondry / France
Award-winning screenwriter, director, musician, author

Ms. Ángeles González-Sinde / Spain
Former Minister of Culture of Spain, Vice president of CISAC, award-winning screenwriter, film director

Mr. Joseph McGinty Nichol / USA

Director, producer and screenwriter

Ms. Yvonne Muinde / Kenya (online participation)
Award-winning visual effects artist

Dr. (Ms.) Mathilde Pavis / France
International legal expert in intellectual property, data and ethics
Mr. Cristóbal Valenzuela / Chile (online participation)
Co-founder and CEO at Runway, an applied AI research company

4:00pm          Roundtable

4:50pm          Conclusions and closing remarks by Mr. Ernesto Ottone R.,
UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Culture

In 2021, UNESCO established the first-ever global framework on AI ethics, the Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence, which was adopted unanimously by its Member States.

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