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Cultural & Creative Industries Skillnet, Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland and Coimisiún na Meán are excited to announce the next call for applicants for our flagship Future Edge programme.

Future Edge will support leaders across the cultural and creative sectors to better understand and implement best practices in Ethical AI & Data Protection in the Creative Industries. These workshops will not showcase specific applications/software tools, but rather explores safeguards and responsible use of AI tools in any area of your business.

This programme is supported by Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland through the Screen Stakeholders Funding Scheme.

Structure

  • The programme will open with a two-day in-person session on Monday 23rd and Tuesday 24th of March at The Guinness Enterprise Centre, Taylor’s Lane, Dublin 8, covering the latest developments in ethical AI in the creative industries.
  • This will be followed by 4 online evening sessions on 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th April from 6pm to 9pm where participants can attend all or select sessions, depending on their areas of interest:
    • April 7th: AI & Sustainability
    • April 14th: HR, Organisational Culture & GEDI (Gender, Equality, Diversity & Inclusion) in the Age of AI
    • April 21st: AI in Business Operations & Decision-Making
    • April 28th: AI in Production & Scheduling
  • Finally, individual consultations for each participant will be available after the programme is complete.

Overview

Over a series of in-person and online workshops for Future Edge in 2023, 2024 and 2025, we engaged with individuals in leadership, management and executive roles across the screen industries. Past participants included Cartoon Saloon, Element Pictures, Fishamble Theatre, Black Shamrock, Screen Producers Ireland, Animation Ireland, StoryToys, Sow You Entertainment, Jam Media, Great Island Productions, Keeper Pictures (formerly Blinder Films), Danú Media, Metropolitan Films, Raising Films, Virgin Media, Wild Atlantic Pictures, Piranha Bar and others.

These two days on AI, the ethics of AI, and its applications within the creative industries was genuinely insightful; I found the discussion particularly engaging, and it sparked a lot of interesting thoughts about the future of creative work. The practical takeaway is I feel empowered to draft a public statement for my company regarding its current position on AI.

- Orlaith FitzGerald, Screen Producers Ireland

AI and policies surrounding its use are something of a minefield to us. The Future Edge AI strand was extremely helpful and Sana’s knowledge and experience was invaluable and extremely well communicated. It was also great to be in a room with other people from all departments, who have the same concerns and queries.

- Ciara Bresnihan, Head of Production, Animo TV

The Future Edge programme gave us space and time to develop meaningful policies for our business. The course provided a breadth of experience from the programme tutors, combined with practical insights into our own unique workflows and relationships.

- Jonathan Clarke, Producer, Distillery Films

The Ethical AI sessions have armed me with a greater understanding of the implication of AI on creative practice, as well as the critical thinking skills necessary to manage AI responsibly. In an industry where creative integrity is paramount, understanding the ethical implications of AI tools is vital. 

- Patricia White, IMMA

Course Profile

Foundation Workshop: Ethical AI in Creative Industries (2 Days)

23rd & 24th March 2026, 9:30am to 04:30 pm, in person at The Guinness Enterprise Centre

This workshop will include:

  • Understanding what AI is
  • Types of AI risk
  • Current and emerging AI developments
  • AI ethics frameworks
  • Bias mitigation, transparency, explainability and accountability considerations
  • AI in Labour and Workforce Change
  • Human Oversight and Creative Integrity
  • Creative rights, copyright and authorship challenges
  • Data governance, privacy, cybersecurity and GDPR requirements
  • Bias, transparency and accountability considerations
  • Legal and regulatory developments, including the EU AI Act, UK and US
  • Applied exercises and case studies
  • Procurement, Vendor Assessment and Due Diligence
  • Guided drafting, review and refinement of organisational AI statements

Delivery will emphasise discussion-based learning, reflecting participant feedback, requiring more time for:

  • Privacy and GDPR explained in more detail and with more time
  • A risk-based approach to AI
  • IP and licensing
  • International regulatory divergence
  • Real-world compliance modelling

 

Specialist Online Evening Workshops

7th,14th, 21st & 28th April 2026, online, from 6pm to 9pm, inclusive of 30 minutes break

Note 1: At the point of registration, participants will be asked to confirm which workshop(s) they intend to attend so that final delivery planning can be aligned with demand. Participants will also have the opportunity to submit questions or topics of interest in advance, which will be incorporated into the workshop discussions and learning activities.

Note 2: To ensure an engaging learning environment, each half-day workshop will require a minimum of five registered participants. If any workshop falls below this number, it may be combined with another related workshop and delivered as a joint session. In such cases, Workshops 1 and 2 may be delivered as a single combined session, and Workshops 3 and 4 may be combined where appropriate.

Participants may attend all or select based on relevance:

  • Understanding the environmental impact of AI systems
  • Carbon footprint considerations
  • Sustainable AI principles and responsible technology procurement
  • Balancing innovation with environmental, social and governance (ESG) obligations
  • Practical applications of AI to support sustainability initiatives in scheduling and logistics
  • Case studies from film, animation, games, live events and digital production
  • Assessing sustainability claims and avoiding “greenwashing” in AI tools and vendor marketing

Template materials may include (and not limited to):

  • Sustainable AI evaluation checklist
  • Vendor environmental impact assessment template
  • Example policy wording for sustainability commitments

  • AI in HR Decision-Making
  • Bias, Fairness & Algorithmic Discrimination
  • The GDPR, EU AI Act, Equality Law & Employment Regulation
  • Data Protection for People Data
  • Workforce Rights and Ethical Use of AI
  • AI and Organisational Culture
  • GEDI (Gender, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion)
  • Responsible Use in Learning, Development & Skills Planning
  • Policy, Governance & Practical Guardrails

Template materials may include (and not limited to):

  • HR AI Use Checklist
  • Risk Assessment Questions
  • Ethical Implementation Roadmap
  • Data Subject Transparency Notice Examples/ clauses

  • Where AI can support business operations and leadership decisions
  • Human oversight: When AI should assist versus automate
  • Data quality, integrity and governance requirements
  • Compliance considerations (GDPR, automated decision-making rules, EU AI Act)
  • Evaluating AI vendors and tools using due diligence frameworks
  • Ethical governance, transparency and accountability for deployed tools
  • Change management considerations and supporting staff adoption
  • Real-world case studies from creative sector workflows

Template materials may include (and not limited to):

  • Responsible AI decision checklist
  • Risk Assessment Questions
  • Vendor assessment and procurement tool
  • Example governance wording and communication templates

  • Benefits, limitations and risks of automation
  • GDPR and data protection considerations when using AI scheduling or optimisation tools
  • Contractual and IP clauses to consider when engaging AI vendors or tools
  • Due diligence frameworks for assessing suitability and compliance of AI solutions
  • Case studies exploring success stories, failures and unintended consequences
  • Geopolitical considerations (EU AI Act, US/UK divergence and global licensing positions) and how they affect tool adoption and contractual protection

Template materials may include (and not limited to):

  • AI production tool due-diligence checklist
  • Vendor risk scoring framework
  • Example contractual clauses and governance guidance

For Workshop 4 there will be a guest speaker attending. Speaker is TBD and will depend on areas the majority of participants want to have covered.

All workshops will include:

  • Detail PPT for future references
  • Template clauses
  • Template Questionnaires
  • Checklists
  • Practical tools
  • Worked examples

One-to-One Consultation Sessions

Each participant receives:

  • Tailored advice on implementation, risk mitigation and governance
  • Sessions must be redeemable within 1 month of programme conclusion.

Participant Profile

This programme is designed for individuals in leadership/management/HOD/Supervisor roles with a minimum of 2 years’ experience working in a company/organisation or as a freelancer in the creative industries.

The nature of the freelancer or organisation/company’s business should include, but is not limited to: Animation, Visual Effects, Games, Film, TV, Documentary, Post-Production, Immersive Technologies, AR/VR, Virtual Production, Digital Media, Entertainment Events, Music, Theatre and Visual Arts.

The programme is also open to applications from individuals who work with representative bodies, stakeholder organisations, guilds, and broadcasters.

Cost

€175 per person.

Application Procedure

Please apply on the Cultural & Creative Industries Skillnet website HERE by Friday, 13th March 2025, noon.

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