This free 90-minute virtual workshop and Q&A is designed to help higher education teaching staff better understand how AI is transforming the film and television industry, and what this means for their curricula and teaching practice. The session will be delivered by Kelsey Farish, a media lawyer who has been advising on AI (and in particular, digital replicas and voice cloning) since 2019.

The session will be split into three sections, with each offering different lenses through which we can explore and discuss artificial intelligence in today's media and entertainment industries.

1. How is AI impacting Film & TV?

• Creativity & Content: AI can speed up ideation and workflows, opening new creative possibilities, but it also risks over-standardisation and loss of originality.
• Costs: AI reduces production spend by automating tasks, though savings may be offset by licensing, compliance, or hidden risks.
• Cast & Crew: AI can make jobs easier and safer, yet raises fears about redundancy, shifting skill sets, and the psychological toll of change.
• Cultural Implications: AI shapes what stories are told and by whom, amplifying questions of bias, diversity, authenticity, and the future of storytelling.

2. How might educators wish to frame this for their students?

• Tech & Skills: practical use of tools
• Legal Awareness: copyright, consent, confidentiality (knowing enough to know when to ask a lawyer!)
• Business Strategy: risks of careless AI use, especially in production contexts
• Society, Ethics & Future of Storytelling: embedding critical reflection on AI’s cultural impact

3. Open discussions Q&A

• A chance to share experiences, raise questions, and identify opportunities for adapting their own teaching practice.

Organised by London Higher and Film London as part of the BFI’s Metro London Skills Cluster, supported by the National Lottery.